Southampton have revived their Championship play-off aspirations, despite a poor start to the season under former manager Will Still.

Southampton, on the other hand, might be promoted to the top division through the play-offs, and they demonstrated their worth by defeating Premier League side Fulham in the FA Cup on Sunday.

The Saints are unlikely to defeat Arsenal in next month’s quarter-final, but advancing to the play-offs by defeating Wrexham and Derby County is becoming more plausible.

Southampton face a serious problem as concerns linger about Tonda Eckert’s future

Tonda Eckert led Southampton to an unbeaten February, with wins over Watford, Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, and Sheffield Wednesday.

The St Mary’s Stadium club then made a promising start to March with a seemingly unexpected victory over Fulham.

Despite his increasingly good performances in the Championship, Eckert is being keenly watched by Serie A and Bundesliga clubs, raising questions about his future on the South Coast.

If Southampton lose the 33-year-old manager, the progress he has made since taking over from Still in the St Mary’s Stadium dugout will be reversed.

Eckert previously appeared unlikely to guide the Saints to the Championship play-offs as his side went six games without a win between December and early January, including a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Middlesbrough.

The German has impressively turned his team’s fortunes around, and recent form indicates that they have more than enough talent to secure a top six berth.

Furthermore, former Southampton talisman Adam Armstrong joined Wolves during the winter transfer window, but Eckert did not let his team’s performance suffer as a result.

Sport Republic has mainly struggled before Tonda Eckert’s hiring.

Southampton’s owners, Sport Republic, have made multiple mistakes since purchasing an 80 percent controlling stake in the Saints in January 2022, as reported by BBC Sport.

Since Sport Republic’s acquisition, the Hampshire club has been relegated twice from the Premier League, which does not reflect well on its ownership.

Meanwhile, previous Saints manager Russell Martin struggled to adapt his playing style to the demands of the top flight, and was fired by owner Dragan Solak in December 2024.

Martin led Southampton to just one Premier League victory and departed St Mary’s as the club was on the verge of relegation to the Championship.

Surprisingly, the 40-year-old’s replacement, Ivan Juric, performed even worse for the Saints in the top flight.

Juric was employed by Southampton in the same month that Martin was fired, and he was fired himself in April 2025 after losing 12 of his 14 Premier League games in charge.

Following the South Coast club’s relegation, which was primarily due to both Martin and his successor, Solak needed to make sure his next management decision was correct.

However, Still, who had previously made a name for himself in France with Reims and Lens, struggled to adapt to the Championship’s standards.

Sport Republic has finally made a great signing in Eckert, but he will be sent back to the drafting board if he joins a Serie A or Bundesliga club.