Southampton admitted to the ‘Spygate’ scandal, which saw them kicked out of the Sky Bet Championship play-off final in May.

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert apologised for his “bad judgement” in the affair, which involved the club observing training sessions of Middlesbrough, Oxford, and Ipswich.

Saints were found to have spied on the Yellows on December 23 and 24 ahead of their trip to the Kassam on Boxing Day.

The scandal came to light after Southampton were caught watching a Middlesbrough training session before the first leg of their play-off semi-final.

Despite beating Middlesbrough over two legs to reach the play-off final, they were disqualified, and the North East side was reinstated.

Middlesbrough went on to lose to Hull.

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Southampton Saints playing against Oxford United (Image: Mike Allen)

The EFL charged Southampton after it was revealed they had also spied on sessions involving Oxford and Ipswich.

Previous details of Tonda Eckert’s side spying on Oxford back in December had been revealed, stating that the Saints boss wanted information on the formation of caretaker head coach Craig Short’s Yellows.

The U’s had sacked former head coach Gary Rowett on December 23 and were under the leadership of caretaker boss Craig Short for the festive fixture.

Under a new head coach, there were certainly questions at the time over whether the U’s would change formation after struggling with a back five under Rowett which saw him sacked after the 1-0 away defeat to Charlton Athletic the game prior.

Short then opted for a back four against Southampton which led Oxford to a 2-1 victory despite the now-known spying of the visitors.

As punishment, Southampton will start the upcoming season with a four-point deficit.

Mr Eckert admitted that some of the public criticism has been “tough to read”.

He told BBC Radio Solent: “It hurts for a number of different reasons.

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Oxford United’s Stanley Mills (right) celebrates scoring their side’s second goal of the game against Southampton (Image: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)

“It’s tough to read some of the things that are out there, I’ve held my hand up for this judgement on something I have authorised.”

The St Mary’s club published a statement on their website, as well as a statement from the chairman – he says he will not sack Eckert following the offences – and the head coach on social media.

The Saints were booted out of the Championship play-off final after being found to have breached EFL rules by spying on Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town, and Oxford.

After beating Boro in the semi-final, Southampton were replaced by the Teesside club in the final at Wembley who were then beaten 1-0 by Hull City, the Tigers securing promotion to the Premier League.

The Foxes sign the former Tractor Boys man on a free transfer after being released by Ipswich at the end of last season.

Chaplin had been in Suffolk for five years but spent last season on loan at former club and boyhood side Portsmouth.

The 29-year-old scored two goals on the south coast as Portsmouth survived comfortably in the Championship and joins a Leicester side who have suffered back-to-back relegation from the Premier League and second tier.

Only four seasons ago, the attacking midfielder was League One’s top scorer with Ipswich, bagging 26 goals as the club were promoted.

He scored the third goal against Karl Robinson’s Oxford that season as Ipswich beat United 3-0 at Portman Road.

Chaplin joins the Foxes on a three-year deal under new manager Russell Martin.

Conor Chaplin scores for Ipswich Town against Oxford United in 2022 (Image: Steve Edmunds)

The signing comes a month after SportsBoom had reported interest in the Englishman from Oxford.

Since then, the U’s have changed head coaches, with ex-Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey taking over from Matt Bloomfield, and have been hit with a temporary transfer embargo restricting them from registering any new players.

Upon joining the east midlands outfit, Chaplin told the club website: “I’m very excited to be here.

“Leicester City is a massive club with a brilliant fanbase, which has been obvious to me every time I’ve competed against them.

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(Image: Newsquest)

“I’m extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to play for this great club, and I will give everything, every day, to achieve what we set out to. I’ve had some great experiences in my career so far, but there is a lot more I want to achieve.

“I like to play with an all-in attitude, energy, and a desire to help the team in any way I can. I’m looking forward to showing the supporters what I can bring. I can’t wait to meet the lads, get out on the training pitch with the manager and his staff to help this team as much as I can.”

Portsmouth’s Conor Chaplin (left) battle for possession of the ball with Southampton’s Shea Charles (Image: John Walton/PA Wire)

Chaplin began his career at Pompey in before joining Coventry City on loan for the 2018/19 season.

That move was made permanent in the January before a summer move to Barnsley where he spent two years.

Ipswich came calling in 2021 where he helped the club to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

Chaplin follows former Southampton and England goalkeeper Alex McCarthy to the club after the experienced shot-stopper arrived at the King Power Stadium on Thursday.

The camp is part of a fully funded, structured pre-season programme offered by the PFA for out-of-contract players.

It aims to keep them fit, visible to clubs, and supported off the pitch while they search for a new deal.

The four Oxford players included in week three of the PFA pre-season, which involves 45 players in total, are Billy Bodin, Marvin Johnson, Kane Hemmings, and Jordan Graham.

The PFA runs these residential summer pre-season camps specifically for free agents who were on professional contracts in the previous season, providing a “club-style” environment for those unattached.

These camps mirror a typical club pre-season, with daily on-pitch sessions, strength and conditioning work, recovery, and friendly matches against EFL and academy sides, all at no cost to the player.

The programme has been expanded to around 10–12 weeks over the summer, with roughly 30–40 players per week, and has helped hundreds of free agents secure new deals after being scouted at camp.

Former Oxford United man Billy Bodin (Image: Mike Allen)

Bodin signed for Oxford United on June 30, 2021, as a free agent on a one-year contract.

In his first season, in which Oxford narrowly missed out on a play-off place, he scored six times in the league and once in the FA Cup.

He expressed his wish to sign a new contract at the end of the season, and in June 2022 signed a new two-year deal.

After winning promotion to the Championship with Oxford, Bodin announced he would leave the club at the end of the 2023–24 season when his contract expired.

He last played for U’s rivals Swindon Town last season.

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Former Oxford United player Marvin Johnson (Image: David Fleming)

Marvin Johnson signed for Oxford United on August 31, 2016, for an undisclosed sum, which according to the Oxford Mail was believed to be a club record fee at the time, in the region of £650,000.

He played in the final of the EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium, which ended in a 2–1 defeat to Coventry City.

Kane Hemmings celebrates his opening goal with Chris Maguire in a 4-1 victory over Coventry (Image: David Fleming)

Kane Hemmings signed for Oxford United on July 27, 2016, for an undisclosed six-figure fee, believed to be in the region of £250,000, agreeing a three-year contract with the club.

On 22 August 2017 he joined Mansfield Town on a season-long loan and at the end of the season he moved to Notts County for an undisclosed fee.

Jordan Graham joined Oxford United of League Two in September 2015 on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The PFA camps function deliberately as a “shop window,” with arranged friendlies and free‑agent XIs facing different clubs.