Southampton’s technical director Johannes Spors says the Spygate scandal left him in a “difficult position” over the summer as the club prepared for the new season.
In May, Saints were banned from the play-offs and deducted four points after admitting spying on three clubs during the Championship season.
Head coach Tonda Eckert’s future was then thrown into question as a Football Association (FA) investigation could see the German coach handed a ban that could cost him his job.
At the start of the season, the club and their supporters did not know whether Eckert would receive a personal sanction for his role in the scandal, but those fears were put to rest in early October when the FA announced he would be fined £28,000 and his six-week ban suspended until the end of next season.
The Saints could have fired Eckert after he admitted his mistakes in May, but owner Dragan Solak decided to stick with him and the rest of the board gave him a second chance.
“Of course it put me in a difficult position,” Spors told BBC Radio Solent.
“It was something that probably nobody, or at least many sporting directors, have ever experienced, planning for a season and a squad with a level of uncertainty.
“I felt only one choice and I’m glad that everyone around me, including Dragan Solak, was very suitable.
“We decided to go that route (supporting Eckert) and take it with all its consequences, and I’m happy we did.”