The end of the 2025-26 Championship season was a unique one for Southampton.
Southampton had booked their spot in the play-off final, before it all came crashing down. They were charged with breaking two EFL regulations regarding spying ahead of their semi-final against Middlesbrough.
It was later found that they had spied on two other occasions earlier in the season. As a result, Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-off final and condemned to another year in the second tier.
They’ll be hoping to put all that behind them now, as Southampton look to secure a return to the Premier League.
Southampton analysis:
Fallout from Spygate
Southampton’s punishment for Spygate didn’t just end with their play-off final expulsion. The Saints have also been docked four points for the 2026-27 Championship season, so start the new campaign already bottom of the table.
It’s quite a minor points deduction in the grand scheme of things, and nowhere near the worst in EFL history. Last season alone, Sheffield Wednesday were docked 18 points in total for financial reasons. And Leicester City were docked six having breached PSR rules. No one comes near Luton Town’s overall 30-point deduction from the 2008-09 season.
Southampton’s four-point deduction is manageable. A minor inconvenience. They took four points from their opening two games last season, so a repeat would probably see them off bottom very quickly.
But there have been more developments. Manager Tonda Eckert has now been charged by the FA with misconduct, for three breaches of FA rule E3.1. That relates to acting in an improper manner and bringing the game into disrepute, all linked the separate spying incidents.
There isn’t much precedent for punishments for such a breach. Although Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa were punished for a similar incident in 2019, the current rules weren’t in place. And so they were given a formal warning. There is the possibility for a ban, though only time will tell.
Southampton’s key weakness
While that is all ongoing, Eckert and Southampton do need to prepare for the new season. And high on the list will be sorting out some defensive issues.
Goals were not a problem for Southampton last season. They scored 84 goals in the Championship, second only to Coventry City. The Saints were also in the top two for their passes and touches, controlling games.
But when Southampton were on the backfoot, they did suffer slightly. Southampton sat in the bottom half of the Championship rankings for shots conceded last season, facing 611. Although only 181 of them hit the target, Southampton won’t want to be relying on their opponents’ accuracy all of the time.
| Stat | Total | 2025-26 Championship rank |
|---|---|---|
| Errors leading goals | 10 | 18th |
| Errors leading to shots | 31 | 17th |
| Possessions won in the attacking third | 157 | 11th |
| Possessions won in the middle third | 843 | 16th |
| Possessions won in the defensive third | 889 | 5th |
In some cases, Southampton were the architects of their own downfall. The Saints made 31 errors leading to shots in the Championship last season, again among the worst in the league. And 10 of those led to goals. Part of the problem was how Southampton allowed their opponents to attack, getting into dangerous areas.
Only five teams won possession more times in the defensive third than Southampton’s 889 last season. While Middlesbrough led the way, they were also joined by Bristol City (who finished 12th), Watford (16th) and Sheffield Wednesday (24th). Moving slightly further forward, Southampton ranked in the middle of the group for their possessions won in the middle third.
These aren’t numbers you’d expect to see from a team boasting an average of 56.27% possession across the season. Southampton should be controlling games, not having to resort to underhanded means to gain slight advantages.
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More arrivals needed
Despite the defensive worries, Southampton haven’t bolstered that part of their squad just yet. But they have made some moves.
Cyle Larin’s loan move was made permanent, after he scored eight goals in 16 games towards the end of 2025-26. Lewis Dobbin was also signed from Aston Villa, remaining in the Championship following successful season with Preston North End. The forward scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in the Championship, ranking in the top 10 for the latter.
Daniel Peretz and George Long have also seen their loan moves made permanent. The former is likely to remain as Southampton’s first-choice goalkeeper, with Gavin Bazunu still out injured. Alex McCarthy has also left the club, joining Leicester City in League One.
And he wasn’t the only departure. The likes of Ross Stewart, Oriol Romeu, Joe Aribo, Will Smallbone and Charlie Taylor have all left. None of those players were starters, with the latter trio all spending some (or all) of last season on loan. But it was good depth to have.
At the moment, there aren’t too many links for Southampton’s incomings. But there needs to be. Right-back seems a weak spot in terms of true quality. Yukinari Sugawara spent last season on loan and he’s unlikely to want to stay in the Championship. Mads Roerslev, meanwhile, will need time to get back to his top level after a long-term injury.
There’s also the depth in midfield, which currently consists of Shea Charles, Flynn Downes, Caspar Jander and Cameron Bragg. That surely won’t be enough to put together a strong promotion challenge. Of course, Southampton are hampered by the current uncertainty surrounding Eckert. But they need to keep things going.