Southampton have yet to recover from the Spygate scandal, which resulted in their elimination from the Championship play-offs and a four-point deduction for the following season.

EFL rules restrict photographing or monitoring rival training for 72 hours before a game.

Southampton’s elimination from the play-offs meant they missed out on a chance to earn £200 million by winning the Wembley Stadium final.

Borough were reinstated in the play-offs, but lost 1-0 to Hull City at the national stadium, thanks to Oli McBurnie’s late goal, which secured the Tigers’ promotion to the Premier League.

In the wake of Spygate, Southampton wants to maintain four players, including Ross Stewart.

Striker Ross Stewart recorded eight goals and two assists in 25 Championship appearances in 2025/26, and is among the players who Southampton are holding contract conversations with, as his current term ends this summer.

The Saints are still responding to the Spygate scandal, with owner Dragan Solak breaking his silence in an interview with BBC Sport, revealing that he will not fire manager Tonda Eckert despite his involvement.

Eckert addressed the issue on Tuesday, apologised to supporters.

BBC Sport claimed on Monday that Southampton’s manager put subordinate staff workers ‘under enormous pressure’ to carry out the surveillance operations.

Solak, on the other hand, has supported the German, who led the St Mary’s Stadium club to a stunning run of form in the second half of the season.

In addition to qualifying for the Championship play-offs, the Saints advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they were defeated by eventual competition winners Manchester City.

However, the recent buzz surrounding Southampton has appropriately focused on their Spygate incident.

Meanwhile, the Southern Daily Echo has claimed that Eckert’s side is attempting to retain James Bree and Stewart, whose contracts expire this summer.

The Saints will also explore additional deals for Cyle Larin and Daniel Peretz, who impressed the South Coast club when on loan in the 2025/26 season.

Larin scored eight goals and one assist in 16 Championship outings, replacing fellow striker Adam Armstrong, who was traded to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Meanwhile, Daniel Peretz established himself as a competent goalkeeper in the second division, keeping seven clean sheets in 20 league games.

Southampton may struggle to keep key assets following Spygate.

Despite being deducted four points ahead of next season, the Saints’ goal will be to secure promotion to the Premier League, either automatically or through the play-offs.

However, given the ongoing ambiguity surrounding the spying story, Southampton may find it difficult to sign Peretz, Larin, Stewart, and Bree to new contracts.

According to The Guardian, Eckert might still face an FA ban as a result of his club’s spying claims, which is less than ideal for his squad.

According to German source Bild, Caspar Jander wants to quit Southampton after the club missed out on promotion to the Premier League, and more departures are possible.