Tonda Eckert could have a next destination lined up if Southampton do sack him

Unlik Marcelo Bielsa, who went on to become a God in Leeds United's fans after his own spying mishaps, it looks as if Tonda Eckert will be dismissed as Southampton manager shortly.

At one stage in his Saints career, he did look as if he was going to hit Bielsa levels of adoration, with a 19-game unbeaten run seeing the South Coast club enter the Championship playoffs as a favourite to win the whole thing.

Unfortunately, the Spygate scandal, which saw him pressure others at the club to do his spying dirty work, has very much soured his reputation at St. Mary's, and all these underhanded tactics saw his team be expelled from the playoffs.

Where does Eckert go from here in trying to salvage his dented reputation in the beautiful game?

Well, reports seem to indicate that clubs from Serie A could be tempted to gamble on the now polarising head coach to give him a lifeline post-Southampton.

Eckert could move to Italy

Well-known Italian journalist Rudy Galetti has delivered this development on what Eckert's coaching future looks like, who believes his reputation at the Saints - irrespective of Spygate - has piqued the interest of several Serie A clubs.

Galetti doesn't name said clubs, but he believes the interest is there, with the German's fluency in Italian apparently another huge standout on the Southampton manager's CV.

Completing his coaching license courses in the country, too, according to Galetti, it does sound as if this could be the next logical step for Eckert, if he is ostracised out of the English game, with European football cultures less bothered about all this secretive intelligence gathering.

That's what Pep Guardiola said, anyway, when quizzed about the dramas of Spygate recently, as he confessed that he remembered individuals prying on his Bayern Munich training sessions, when he was in charge of the Bavarian giants.

A route into the Bundesliga might not be off the cards for the 33-year-old, either, with previous interest in his managerial services reported from his homeland, before Spygate kicked off.

He also has German admirers

In an alternate reality, Southampton would be fighting to keep Eckert situated at St Mary's this summer, instead of being in a position looking to get rid.

When he was at his Saints peak and transforming the South Coast club from mid-table dwellers to playoff material, it was rumoured that Stuttgart were keen on the up-and-coming head coach.

Could this interest be reignited in the promising manager, if he were to be relieved of his Saints duties?

The 33-year-old would no doubt jump at the opportunity of being approached, as he was previously in and around proceedings at RB Leipzig and at Bayern Munich as a youth coach, before going on to manage Southampton.

He could finally lead from the sidelines in his native country, all while putting the horrible ordeal of Spygate behind him.

For everyone's sake, it does feel like the best overall outcome is for Eckert to be axed from Southampton, so the Saints can start afresh, and so the Berlin-born boss can repair his reputation far away from the scene of the crime.

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