Southampton are now pushing to seal a deal for an "unbelievable" player, with manager Tonda Eckert a big fan.

Saints set to stick with Eckert despite Spygate scandal

Despite the Spygate scandal preventing the Saints from competing in the Championship play-off final, which is known as the most lucrative game in football, owner Dragan Solak has no plans to part ways with Eckert.

Solak said: "I think he deserves a second chance and I would give it to him. My full support would be behind him actually, because I think he's a super-talented manager."

"I believe Tonda that he didn’t know that it was the rule that he was breaking. My personal opinion, and the opinion of the board, is that he is a manager who deserves to be backed by us and to be supported by us.

"I will obviously seek advice from the team. I will seek advice from the players, from the fans. But yes, if it’s ultimately my decision, he stays."

In a personal message to the fans, the 33-year-old has now apologised for his actions, which led to his side being expelled from the play-offs.

A four-point deduction was also handed out, which is set to come into effect next season, and will make it all the more difficult for the German's side to mount an automatic promotion push next season.

However, one of the Saints' summer transfer targets doesn't appear to have been deterred by the punishment.

Southampton enter advanced talks to sign "unbelievable" player

According to reporter Alfie House, Southampton are now "in advanced talks" to sign Daniel Peretz on a permanent basis, following the Bayern Munich goalkeeper's impressive loan spell at St. Mary's after arriving in January.

Peretz has been attracting interest from other clubs, but he is "keen" to join the Saints on a permanent deal, and club chiefs are pushing to get a deal over the line quickly.

The Israeli wants to help Eckert's side get promoted next season, after such a strong second half of the 2025-26 campaign, in which they took 47 points from their final 20 matches, four more than any other Championship club.

Eckert was delighted by the impact the 25-year-old made during his loan spell, saying in March: “Daniel has been unbelievable. There was never a doubt about his quality, but as a goalkeeper, you need to find a certain rhythm. I think he gets better from game to game.”

The former Maccabi Tel Aviv man conceded just 18 goals in 20 Championship appearances for the Saints, during which time he collected clean sheets, two more than Gavin Bazunu managed to amass in 25 second tier outings.

With that in mind, signing Peretz is a no-brainer for Southampton.

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