HEAD coach Tonda Eckert has made his opinion known to the board about James Bree’s contract as the full-back nears the end of his Saints deal.
Eckert praised the impact Bree has had at Saints since returning from his loan at Charlton in mid-January after he scored the winner against Leicester.
Substitute Bree, 28, headed home in extra time to secure Southampton’s place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over the Foxes.
Saints have not lost a single game that Bree has started this season, mounting a five-game unbeaten run across the FA Cup and Championship.
Asked about Bree’s contract situation, Eckert said: “The club knows my opinion, I’m very happy with the way he’s contributing at the very moment.”
On Friday, Eckert outlined that he expects Saints to hold discussions with Bree and Ross Stewart about their expiring contracts soon.
Bree has scored four cup winners for Saints over the two seasons, also ensuring progression in the second, third, and fourth rounds of the Carabao Cup last season.
Asked if he was aware of Bree’s cup scoring record, Eckert responded: “About him scoring so many goals, I think I just heard something from Phil [Parsons].
“Today is a set-piece. In general, he’s been very good over the last few weeks. Especially the free-kicks from the left side have been quite successful against Leicester in the home game.
“We should have scored one with Taylor [Harwood-Bellis] in the away game on Tuesday; luckily, we got another one in today. ”
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