Southampton fans will believe there's a very bright future on the horizon with Tonda Eckert at the helm.
The past couple of years has been rather depressing to be a Saints supporter, as Southampton went from being a well-established Premier League side, to a laughing stock of the entire division, when ending last season rooted to the bottom of the punishing division on a measly 12 points.
Now, under Eckert, there's a belief coursing through their veins that they can win promotion in style, and go back to being a Premier League staple once more, with the South Coast side currently 17 games unbeaten under the transformative head coach, after overcoming Derby County 2-1.
There's even a star in the German's ranks who is slowly but surely becoming a modern-day iteration of Sadio Mane, with the gem in question ready to explode into life in the top-flight, much like the Senegalese attacker managed all those years ago for the Saints.
Mane's unbelievable spell at Southampton
Before being catapulted into the main Premier League spotlight at Anfield, with 120 goals coming his way on the books of Liverpool, the slick winger first got his journey up and running in England with the Saints.
From 75 games at the club, Mane would always go about his business in a direct, high-octane way, with 25 goals and ten assists coming his way, subsequently.
Scoring the Premier League's fastest hat-trick while situated on the South Coast, too, it was a case of the club's left-field transfer strategy paying off magnificently.
Securing his services from RB Salzburg for only £11.8m, Mane would eventually be moved onto the Reds for a far heftier £36m.
This same breakneck ascent could be playing out in real time, arguably, with this slick attacker, who is continuing to light up the Championship, and will likely be playing in the Premier League next season, with or without the Saints.
Eckert's very own Mane
Eckert has proven to a very popular figure on the sidelines, ever since he was handed the surprise reins after Will Still's sacking.
He has got a lot more out of attackers who looked lost under the Belgian's cursed regime, with Finn Azaz now up to 11 goals and nine assists for the season, after consistently blanking under the short-lived reign of Still.
In particular, Leo Scienza has been transformed into a talent that looks bound for the Premier League, after representing a risk in the transfer market, like Mane's arrival from Austria all those years ago.
Purchased from Germany in the summer from Heidenheim, the Brazilian had managed to put away an encouraging four Bundesliga strikes, from 27 contests for the lowly first tier team, before Southampton took a punt.
Excelling down the left wing, much like Mane in his peak, Scienza also has a wonderful solo strike up his sleeve, like the current Al Nassr veteran, with a sublime seven goals and eight assists now under his belt on the South Coast.
Curling home the equaliser last time out against Derby, it's clear that Scienza is now worth way more than the modest £8.6m that saw him swap Germany for England.
Indeed, reports suggest that the spellbinding number 13 is now worth around the £21m mark, as Premier League clubs aplenty begin to queue for his signature.
A lengthy career at the very top of the English game could soon await Scienza, with the silky South American clearly ready for the challenge of the Premier League.
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