Southampton owner Dragan Solak has shut down any talk of sacking Tonda Eckert over the ‘Spygate’ scandal, insisting the German “is the man to take us forward” as Saints target an immediate Premier League return.
In a statement released before Eckert’s own public apology, Solak admitted the club mishandled the scandal in its “early stages” but moved quickly to draw a line under the controversy.
“It’s important to apologise for how we handled the matters in the early stages of the process. We have to be better. Mistakes have been made and we will learn from them,” Solak said. “Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm how committed I am to bringing success to St Mary’s.”
Solak then issued a full vote of confidence in Eckert, despite the head coach admitting he orchestrated the spying operation that saw Saints thrown out of last month’s Championship play-offs.
“As I have said, I want to close this chapter and look ahead. And I want to look ahead together as one, including Tonda and his staff,” he continued.
“Tonda’s period as our head coach has been a success so far. Our form during 2026 has been remarkable and we believe he is the man to take us forward. As a board, we are fully behind him and together we only have one objective: we want promotion back to the Premier League.”
The Saints chief also made a direct promise to supporters still reeling from the play-off expulsion.
“We all together will continue to work hard this summer to give you a team you can be proud of and a club that is growing every year. I promise you that we’ll bring to you at the end of the summer the team that will take you out of your seats and excitement will run high against St Mary’s.”
Eckert, who took full responsibility saying “I am responsible for everything that has happened,” now has public backing to deliver on Solak’s pledge.
The message from the top is clear: Spygate ends here. Promotion is the only thing that matters next.
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