Southampton director of football Johannes Spors has insisted it was only logical to hand Tonda Eckert the manager’s job on a permanent basis.
Sport 1 have an interview with Spors today. They discuss all things Southampton, including the recent appointment of Eckert.
He was handed the permanent Southampton job last week after a successful interim period at the club. He had stepped up to temporarily replace Will Still following his sacking in November.
Four wins in five games followed, pushing Southampton up the table and away from relegation troubles. That led Southampton to hand the 32-year-oldthe job on a permanent basis.
It’s a bold decisions from Spors and his team. Eckert’s CV so far has seen him working behind the scenes as a match analyst, head of scouting and then assistant manager. He was then handed the manager’s job at Southampton, albeit for the U21s.
That ultimately ended up being a role he only ended up holding for four months, or 12 games, as Still’s early departure required a replacement. Spors is confident about the appointment, even if there were initial concerns.
“Of course, there was a question mark,” he said.
“We had already worked together in Genoa – him as assistant coach, me as sporting director. I was aware of how incredibly talented and highly trained he is. Nevertheless, the move from assistant to head coach is a big step.
“That’s why we jointly decided to appoint him as head coach of the U21 team at Southampton at the start of the season. He’s shown an exceptionally rapid learning curve there. So, it was only logical to give him this opportunity now.”
