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Southampton Expect Tonda Eckert to Escape Ban After FA Charge

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Southampton are optimistic about the punishment that Tonda Eckert will receive after being charged by the FA for three breaches of bringing the game into disrepute, according to the Athletic.

Southampton were expelled from the playoff final back in May after being found guilty by the EFL after they admitted spying on training sessions for Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town and Oxford United during last season.

Saints will also begin the new Championship season on minus four points after the EFL came down heavily on them, with the FA carrying out their own investigation since.

Despite their failure to go up, the south coast outfit have so far managed to keep hold of all of their key players, although striker Ross Stewart did leave on the expiry of his contract.

Owner Dragan Solak promised he would give supporters a team to be proud of for next term after the disappointment in May, with the club also adding Lewis Dobbin to their squad in a deal worth around £9m from Aston Villa.

Dobbin and his Saints teammates will now be hoping that Eckert is in charge for the beginning of the campaign, which gets underway against Watford at Vicarage Road on August 16.

Athletic: Southampton Expect Eckert to Escape Ban

Tonda Eckert

According to the Athletic, despite Eckert being found guilty of three breaches of Rule E 3.1, in relation to misconduct and bringing the game into disrepute, ‘sources close to Southampton’ expect the German to avoid a ban that would see him banned and prohibit him from coaching.

That would be the worst-case scenario for Eckert and the club, who have put their full backing behind the 33-year-old despite the disappointing outcome of the 2025-26 season.

Despite the Spygate scandal, Saints impressed during the second half of the campaign, and they are still unbeaten in the Championship since January, which is a record they will look to continue at the start of next term.

Fees correct prior to summer 2026

All 10 found — excellent!

Southampton Could Still Lose Players

Southampton midfielder Shea Charles in action vs Wrexham

Southampton would have been fearing losing the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Leo Scienza, Caspar Jander and Shea Charles this summer following the failure to win promotion, but the quartet currently all remain at St Mary’s.

The majority of interest has come around the player with the least time remaining on his contract in Charles, with Leeds United launching multiple bids for his services in recent weeks.

Fellow Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Fulham are also said to be interested in the Northern Ireland international, but links around the likes of Harwood-Bellis and Scienza have so far been quiet.

Saints can definitely be more confident of finishing in the playoff positions at the minimum next season if they retain the majority of the aforementioned stars, as the players look to put right the wrongs of the club last season.

Southampton have been touted to look at re-signing Ross Stewart, who is still yet to find a new club after leaving the club at the expiry of his contract at the end of June.

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Peter Crouch’s Daughter ‘Nearly Arrested’ Over Inappropriate Joke

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Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy have always been open when it comes to sharing the chaos of family life on their podcast, and a recent episode of The Therapy Crouch didn’t disappoint.

This time, the pair looked back on a recent trip to New York that took an unexpected turn the moment they landed.

While England’s national team were busy soaking up their World Cup summer, the couple’s own transatlantic adventure came with a scare involving their eldest daughter, 15-year-old Sophia, and a run-in with US immigration that could have gone very differently, with no detail being spared on the show.

The Joke that Nearly Landed Peter Crouch’s Daughter in Trouble

Peter Crouch

Clancy explained that US border control is a different beast entirely to the UK, and by no means a place to be messing about: “We’re landing in New York, it’s different to the UK, it’s kind of security heavy. Strict. Those immigration officers are not fun. You cannot crack a joke with them,” she said.

Sophia had to give her fingerprints after renewing her passport since her last US visit and questioned why. In doing so, she joked it might be:

“In case there’s like fingerprints on the gun.”

It didn’t land well. Officials asked her to repeat herself, prompting Clancy to step in and clarify her daughter wasn’t confessing to anything, just asking how fingerprints help catch criminals.

Sophia was eventually waved through, but there was one final sting in the tail. By the time the family collected their bags, their driver had given up and left without them.

“So then we got our bags and the driver left us because we were taking too long and I just burst into tears,” Clancy admitted.

The Screen Time Rule Peter Crouch’s Family Have Stuck with

TNT Sports' Peter Crouch

The couple also touched on a parenting call they made over Christmas 2024, cutting phones and iPads out of their kids’ lives for good.

“We said to them iPads and phones are gone, and I feel we’ve stuck to that,” Crouch said, adding they’d made a conscious effort to remove the devices entirely. Both said they’d noticed a real shift in their children’s attitudes since, with the family still holding firm on the rule well over a year later.

As well as Sophia, Crouch and Clancy, who have been married since 2011, have three other children. Liberty Rose, Johnny and Jack, all between the ages of 10 and six.

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Leeds Want to Sign Jens Petter Hauge in £30m Deal

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Leeds United are battling it out with three Premier League clubs to sign a highly-rated versatile attacker for Daniel Farke.

The Peacocks are preparing for a second season in the top flight after finishing 14th in their first campaign back in the big time. Daniel Farke oversaw an impressive run of form during the second half of the season and is set to try and build on this.

There is plenty of work going on behind-the-scenes as Farke’s transfer chiefs look to strengthen his squad. They are working to complete a deal for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles and want at least one new goalkeeper following Karl Darlow and Ilan Meslier’s exits.

Leeds Set Their Sights on Jens Petter Hauge

Jens Petter Hauge

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are eyeing Bodo/Glimt forward Jens Petter Hauge although they face competition from their Premier League rivals. Everton, Sunderland and newcomers Hull City are also eyeing the Norwegian.

There is also interest from Serie A which could start a bidding war for the attacking gem. Hauge enjoyed a superb season for Bodo who were the UEFA Champions League’s surprise package, with eight goals and nine assists in 31 games across competitions.

The 26-year-old, dubbed “sensational” was on target in the Norweigan outfit’s 3-1 win over Manchester City. He has been earning plaudits for his creativity on the left side of Bodo’s attack.

Leeds are looking to bolster their options out wide and are considering turning to Hauge who has two years left on his contract. Should the Whites decide to pursue a deal they could be looking at a fee of around £30 million.

Hauge Ticks Plenty of Boxes For Farke

Daniel Farke

A player of Hauge’s quality could be a game changer for Leeds as they bid to become Premier League mainstays. His exploits for Bodo earned him a place in Norway’s squad for the World Cup, although he only came on for seven minutes in a 4-1 loss to France.

The Peacocks do have the finances to fund a deal having already made one of their most expensive signings in history. They forked out £34.1m to bring Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic to Elland Road from Sassuolo.

The likes of Everton and Sunderland could prove problematic, especially the Toffees, who are said to be long-term admirers. But there was similarly interest from Premier League opposition in Muharemovic before Farke got his man.

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Arsenal to Entertain Offers For ‘One of Arteta’s Best Players’ if Guimaraes Joins

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Bruno Guimaraes’ potential arrival at Arsenal could lead to one of Mikel Arteta’s main men heading for the exit door.

The Gunners are chasing Guimaraes, and he is keen to make the move to the Emirates. He is reportedly ‘frustrated’ at Newcastle United, who don’t want to sell their skipper after selling Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur for £100 million.

Guimaraes’ clear desire to join Arteta’s champions could prove crucial for the North Londoners. He has been one of the Premier League’s best midfielders since joining the Tyneside outfit from Lyon back in January 2022.

Arsenal Will Entertain Odegaard Offers

Arsenal's Martin Odegaard reacts
Premier League – Everton v Arsenal – Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain – December 20, 2025 Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard reacts Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Guimaraes would be another superstar added to Arteta’s midfield, and his acquisition might lead to a big-name exit. A report from TEAMtalk claims that Arsenal are hopeful a deal can be done at around £75 million and could then entertain offers for Martin Odegaard if the price is right.

Odegaard lifted the Premier League title last season and has been one of the Gunners’ key men during his time at the Emirates. The Norweigan made a permanent switch back in the summer of 2021 after spending a season on loan from Real Madrid.

The 27-year-old has endured injury issues in recent seasons, and that might be factored into any decision over his future. When he was fit last season, he fared well but ended the campaign on the substitutes’ bench on several occasions.

It is noted that Odegaard’s chances of leaving this summer aren’t high, but an exit can’t be ruled out entirely. He faces an important season if he does remain with Arteta’s side, as a move next year is said to be looking “increasingly possible.”

There has been “serious interest” in the Norweigan, but there is a lack of desire to match the Premier League giants’ asking price. He has two years left on his contract, which puts the club in a position to start considering his future.

Fees correct prior to summer 2026

All 10 found — excellent!

Gunners Will Be Making Controversial But Right Decision

Martin Odegaard and Mikel Arteta

Odegaard has been heroic for large portions of his spell at Arsenal but isn’t quite pulling the strings as he was at the start of his Emirates career. Recurring fitness issues are proving problematic, and he’s no longer an undisputed starter.

Should the Gunners sign Guimaraes, there’s a real chance that Odegaard heads for the exit door if not this summer, then next. Even when fit, he has come under scrutiny for uninspired performances and question marks over his leadership.

It shouldn’t take selling the Norweigan for Arteta to realise that he has an ideal captain in Declan Rice, who called his skipper ‘one of the best players in the league’. But it could be the catalyst for a proper leader to be wearing the armband while the club move on from the playmaker.

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