Southampton have confirmed the appointment of 32-year-old Tonda Eckert as head coach, who becomes the youngest manager in the Championship.
Eckert had led the Saints to four wins from five in his interim period in charge.
In a statement released on Friday, the club wrote:
Southampton Football Club is delighted to confirm that Tonda Eckert has agreed to become Men’s First Team Head Coach on a permanent basis, signing a contract until 2027.
Eckert has led the team to four wins in five games since taking charge on an interim basis at the start of November, a run that has seen the club climb up the table and pick up a total of 12 points from 15 available.
Most importantly, the 32-year-old has united both the playing squad and supporters thanks to a committed, attacking and entertaining style of play.
Group Technical Director Johannes Spors said: “I’m delighted that Tonda has accepted our offer of becoming the permanent Men’s First Team Head Coach following his spell in interim charge.
“His empathy for the playing group and the clarity with which he communicates his ideas have been central to the team’s improvement since he took charge.
“The great results he has achieved in that time, not just in terms of performances and points, but also in the way he has brought together players and supporters, has shown everyone what he is capable of achieving.”
Tonda Eckert said: “I’m very proud. It’s a very proud feeling to represent this football club. I think that we’ve had a great start and now it is up to us to continue.
“We go all in; there is no other way. I don’t shy away from being ambitious to say that we want to play for promotion, whatever that is going to look like in the end. We will go for every single point there is to take.”
Who is Tonda Eckert?
As interim boss, Tonda Eckert became the first Southampton manager to win their first four games in charge for nearly 100 years, winning as many league games as predecessor Will Still did in the space of just four.
Eckert’s coaching endeavors began at just 19 years old, at FC Koln’s U17 setup in 2013, after a three-year stint as a scout and analyst for Fortuna Koln and the German national side.
He then went to Austria in 2016, still in his early twenties, to become the assistant manager at Red Bull Salzburg’s U19s, then remaining in the Red Bull group when joining Leipzig’s U19 setup as the assistant manager in 2017.
Tonda Eckert spent over 30 games managing alongside Marco Rose at RB Salzburg academy 2016 and 2017 – before Rose won the league twice in two seasons as first team manager in 17/18 and 18/19, then went to Borussia Monchengladbach, Dortmund, and RB Leipzig.
Eckert then joined one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs for a 17-game stint as Bayern Munich U17 assistant manager in the 2019/20 season, before venturing into senior management.
Eckert took on Barnsley as his first role as an assistant manager, working with the likes of Valérien Ismaël (now Blackburn boss) and Gerhard Struber (now of Bristol City) from 2020 to 2022.
This was at a point when Barnsley were in the Championship – Eckert actually has more experience than predecessor Will Still in the second tier despite being a year younger.
His stint in the EFL was followed by a three-year spell as assistant manager with Serie A outfit Genoa.
He took his first head coach role at Southampton’s U21s prior to the start of the 2025/26 campaign, overseeing ten games and a 1.90 ppg record as Saints U21 assistant.
Having already worked with the likes of Robert Klauß, Alexander Blessin, Alberto Gilardino, Patrick Vieira, and, formerly mentioned, Marco Rose at the age of just thirty-two, Eckert has had plenty of inspiration.
While a lack of experience on his CV has been suggested, Eckert is one of a growing trend – career coaches who rise from an analytical role to prosperity.
Read More: How Good is Southampton’s Next Manager Tonda Eckert?
Chairman Dragan Solak will be hoping that his sixth full-time appointment in just under four years is the most successful yet, and will be hoping for the club to win promotion to the Premier League in the coming months.
If Eckert can do that and then achieve the massive feat of keeping the Saints up, he will be a hero.
