Southampton’s Spygate scandal now has a victim.
Indeed, while many do expect Tonda Eckert to be relieved of his duties shortly, he hasn’t yet been axed.
On the contrary, Ben Chorley – who had an EFL-heavy playing career with the likes of Leyton Orient – has now revealed he will be leaving the building at the close of June, having only been the Saints’ head of scouting since August 2025.
Chorley’s dismissal at Southampton
The 43-year-old would even play for Southampton’s bitter South Coast rivals Portsmouth towards the latter stages of his playing days, before going down the scouting route after retirement.
Previously director of football at both Swindon Town and Valenciennes FC – with the French club owned by Sporting Republic – he was unveiled in his new role on the South Coast last summer.
Ultimately, though, for Chorley, this move to St. Mary’s has proven to be a very short-lived one, and he has come out on social media to open up about his exit.
While the above statement is full of the usual niceties you might expect from a departing monologue, with thanks extended to the likes of Johannes Spors and many others, some of the concluding remarks are also rather telling.
Indeed, the line “I only wish we’d secured the Premier League promotion that was deserved” undoubtedly refers to the horrors of Spygate, with all of Chorley’s hard work falling to the wayside.
Moreover, he ends with a “see what the game brings” remark, with reports suggesting that the 43-year-old already has a new club lined up, as he tries to bounce back quickly from this brief stay at Southampton.
He could have a new club lined up…
Reports have already come out linking Chorley to a new club, despite his assertions that he will be taking a break from the beautiful game to reassess.
As per journalist Pete O’Rourke, his ex-club Orient is tempted to bring him back to Brisbane Road in a director of football capacity.
He also has admirers from Norwich City, who are equally keen about bringing him in to operate from the same role.
Chorley will love getting his teeth stuck into a new venture, you imagine, as he tries to quickly move on from the Spygate drama at his soon-to-be former employers.
Much like Chorley moving on quick, reports are also suggesting that Eckert could be set for an immediate next destination if he is dismissed from Southampton, as clubs from Italy are allegedly very interesting in snapping him up.
With all these changes happening at St. Mary’s, it will also be intriguing to see when major decisions come to light as to who will replace the likes of the head of scouting, and of course, the manager.
It’s a summer of immense change on the South Coast, that’s for sure, with a hope all these quickfire modifications and adjustments set Southampton up for a positive 2025/26 season, as opposed to one that sees them become swamped in their Spygate misery, with a four-point deduction an unwanted penalty they’ll need to tackle head on.
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