(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Tue 2 June 2026 16:21, UK

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Tonda Eckert owes a “debt of gratitude” to Southampton owner Dragan Solak and their players after it was confirmed that he will not be sacked as a result of the Spygate saga.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the German has “got to perform” next season after being “lucky” to keep his job.

Solak revealed on Monday that he is prepared to hand the manager a second chance, despite his misdemeanour, when many had expected that he would pay for the saga with his job.

Eckert has since accepted full responsibility for the Saints’ spying on Middlesbrough, which ultimately saw them kicked out of the Championship play-offs and cost them the chance to earn promotion to the Premier League.

Tonda Eckert still under huge scrutiny from Southampton owner

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Eckert must make a positive start to the 2026-27 campaign, or he could yet face the sack.

He feels that Solak could easily have shown the boss the door after the team were denied a shot at a lucrative promotion to the Premier League, and will be expecting big things from him next term as a result.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness made it clear that Solak is adamant that Eckert is the right man for the job, and also noted that the squad remain “united” behind him, despite everything that has gone on.

“Southampton obviously believe he is the right manager, and he’s a good manager. He seemed to have got the squad firing very well,” he said.

“A lot will have depended on the owner’s reading of the squad reaction. There were rumours of the squad suing the club about lost revenue, but that seems to have died down now as well.

“So if the squad truly are united behind the manager and they do feel that they’re a unit, then the chairman’s doing the right thing. He’s got the interest of Southampton to be concerned about.

A personal message from Head Coach, Tonda Eckert. pic.twitter.com/dHlDdF6XFd

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) June 2, 2026

“Hopefully, the World Cup will push this to the back of the news agenda and he’s got a second chance. He’s a lucky boy, but he has. He owes the owner a debt of gratitude now. So he’s got to perform next year.”

Wrexham blasted for latest Spygate response

Wyness told Football Insider last week that Wrexham and Millwall are wrong for threatening to take legal action over the Spygate saga in a bid to gain compensation.

The pair feel that they have grounds to receive a financial pay-off for the way their respective seasons ended, but Wyness has insisted that legal action cannot become the norm within the EFL.

He has called upon the governing body to show “strong leadership” to create methods of dealing with issues like this internally, rather than having them potentially decided in court.

He is adamant that legal action should be a “last resort” for clubs, and feels that in this instance, both Wrexham and Millwall are using it as their first port of call.

Wyness also made it clear that pursuing this would be a “waste of money” for both clubs, and urged for the Spygate saga to now be settled and reach its natural conclusion.