Southampton are a genuine automatic promotion contender. That is the conclusion you are forced to reach after watching them win at West Ham on Saturday, and after examining how Tonda Eckert has built this squad. Six weeks ago that claim would have felt premature. After 12 games, it no longer does.

The numbers behind the claim

Saints sit sixth in the Championship table, but context matters here. A four-point deduction handed out at the start of the campaign has cost them dearly in the standings. Without it, they would currently occupy second place. Seven wins from 12 league matches, and only three points separate them from Swansea in the automatic spots. In a division where the gap between second and sixth can close or open with a single midweek fixture, that is not a comfortable cushion for anyone above them.

The win in East London was also the kind of result that tells you something meaningful. Southampton went to a side above them in the table and scored twice inside the opening 11 minutes, controlling enough of the game thereafter to take all three points. That is not the performance of a team scrapping for a play-off berth; it is the performance of a team who believe they belong at the top of the division.

Why this feels different from a hot streak

Four consecutive wins in the Championship can flatter almost anyone. Supporters have seen enough false dawns in this division to know better than to trust a brief run. But there are structural reasons to think Southampton's current form has a foundation beneath it.

The recruitment approach this summer marked a deliberate shift. In previous windows, the club targeted younger, developmental players, Romeo Lavia and Mateus Fernandes being the most prominent examples. Both were sold for significant fees, but neither was signed with an eye on an immediate Championship promotion push. This summer, Eckert and the recruitment department went in a different direction. Cyle Larin (31), Keven Schlotterbeck (29) and James Ward-Prowse (31) are established footballers who walked straight into the starting eleven. Experienced players do not need time to settle; they set standards from the first session.

Former Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem made the point plainly on BBC Radio Solent: "From my career, the teams that I have been successful in have had experienced football players in them. Without a doubt you need young players coming through but you can't play with a full team of young players. Experienced players take things like training to another level."

Tessem added that such players form the backbone of any successful side, and the evidence from this season's opening 12 games supports that view.

The compact squad: strength or risk?

Eckert has also made a calculated gamble on squad size. Last season, 36 players made at least one Championship appearance for the club. This term, Eckert has fielded just 23 in the league, and that number is effectively 22 since Ben Brereton-Diaz has since departed on loan.

"We've taken a decision very consciously at the start of the season to go into this campaign with a very small squad," Eckert explained to BBC Radio Solent. "That always means that injuries might hurt you at some moments, but at the same time you have the chance for some players to step up."

It is a genuine risk. The Championship schedule, with its relentless midweeks through November, December and into January, punishes thin squads ruthlessly. A hamstring here or an ankle there can derail a promotion challenge before the new year. The ankle concern over Flynn Downes, reported after the Norwich win, is a reminder that Eckert's options are limited. Saints do not have the numbers to absorb a run of injuries to key men.

What they need from here

Three points off automatic promotion, with the points deduction still sitting in the ledger like a dead weight. Close that gap and Saints are in the conversation, not at the fringes of it. The fixtures remaining will determine whether this challenge is real or whether it fades as so many Championship surges do.

What the West Ham win showed is that Eckert's side can go to difficult venues and impose themselves. That is the minimum requirement for a side with genuine ambitions. The next test is whether they can sustain it across a full month, not just a fortnight. Distrusting a good run is wise in this division. But the evidence here runs deeper than form alone.

Frequently asked

Where are Southampton in the Championship table?
Southampton are sixth after 12 games, three points behind Swansea in second. They also carry a four-point deduction from early in the season, without which they would currently sit second in the table.
Who did Southampton sign this summer and how have they done?
Southampton's key summer additions include Cyle Larin, Keven Schlotterbeck and James Ward-Prowse, all experienced players aged 29 or older who have gone straight into the starting eleven and made an immediate impact.
Can Southampton still make automatic promotion?
Yes. Three points separate them from the automatic places after 12 matches, and their points deduction means their underlying form has been even stronger than the table suggests. It is very much a live challenge.