Ex-Southampton boss Will Still is in advanced talks to join a European top-flight club following his sacking from St. Mary's earlier this season.

Southampton await spygate conclusion ahead of play-off final

Southampton's season has been one of the more remarkable stories in the Championship.

It began very badly, with Still sacked in early November after just two league wins in 13 matches, leaving the Saints 21st in the table and staring at the prospect of a second consecutive relegation.

What followed under replacement Tonda Eckert has been nothing short of extraordinary.

The German transformed the club's fortunes.

An unbeaten run from January through to the end of the regular season hauled Southampton from the bottom half into the playoff places — a feat that looked almost impossible when he took charge.

Along the way, Eckert guided the Saints to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they took Premier League title-chasers Man City to the wire before falling narrowly despite taking the lead.

En route to that semi-final, Southampton knocked Arsenal — the Premier League leaders — out of the competition, one of the standout results of the entire cup campaign.

For a Championship side in the midst of a rebuilding job, it was a statement performance that suggested something real was being built on the south coast.

The playoff semi-final against Middlesbrough was equally dramatic.

Southampton won 2-1 on aggregate after extra time in the second leg, booking their place in the final against Hull City. But it is what happened off the pitch that has dominated the headlines since.

Middlesbrough formally reported Southampton to the EFL on May 7, alleging that a club employee was found near their training ground filming a session and recording audio of head coach Kim Hellberg ahead of the first leg.

A photograph subsequently emerged showing the individual in question — identified as a first-team performance-analyst intern — positioned close to the training pitches.

The EFL charged Southampton with breaching two regulations: one requiring clubs to act in good faith, and another — introduced after the Bielsa-Leeds affair in 2019 — prohibiting observation of an opponent's training within 72 hours of a match.

Southampton have said they are cooperating fully with the EFL and conducting their own internal review. Chief executive Phil Parsons released a statement asking for time to "ensure that all facts and context are properly understood" before conclusions are drawn.

Eckert has declined to comment publicly while the investigation is ongoing.

A hearing before an independent disciplinary commission is scheduled for today, with outcomes ranging from a fine to potential expulsion from the final.

Middlesbrough are understood to be pushing for a strong sanction, and their players have been told to keep training in case they are called upon.

It is a complex and sensitive situation, and one that will be resolved in the coming days.

Will Still in 'advanced' talks to join Auxerre after Southampton sacking

Meanwhile, the man who started the season in the Southampton dugout is moving on.

According to Sky Sports Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri, AJ Auxerre have placed Still at the top of their managerial shortlist and are in advanced discussions with the 33-year-old over taking charge ahead of next season.

Tavolieri reports that Auxerre could beat Lorient to the Belgian's signature, with the Breton club also holding talks after confirming the departure of Olivier Pantaloni at the end of the campaign.

Still has been out of work since his dismissal from St Mary's in November.

His time in England was brief and bruising, but his reputation in France remains strong.

He set a Ligue 1 record of 17 matches unbeaten from the start of his tenure at Reims, and his subsequent spell at Lens further cemented his standing as one of the most promising young coaches on the continent.

Both Auxerre and Lorient believe he can deliver in a league he knows well.

For Still, a return to France offers a fresh start.

For Southampton, the focus is entirely on what happens next — first the hearing, then, they hope, Wembley.