Will Still: Southampton contract signed for former Reims and Lens boss to become head coach.
Will Still has signed his contract to become the new Southampton head coach; Still left Ligue 1 side Lens citing personal reasons; the 32-year-old also managed Reims in France and has also previously worked in Belgium at Sint-Truiden, Beerschot and Lierse..
Will Still has signed his contract to become the new Southampton head coach.
Sky Sports News understands it is a three-year deal, while his backroom team are also finalising their contracts.
Still is set to be at Southampton’s game against Arsenal at St Mary’s on Sunday.
The 32-year-old left Ligue 1 club Lens on May 18 and Southampton have moved quickly to secure his services.
Still left Reims in 11th place, the same position which they achieved last season, though the Ligue 1 club slumped in the second half of last term, having held fourth place at one stage.
Still’s impressive work in France last year gained a lot of talk over potential future employment in England.
During the 2022/23 season Still’s success had caught the eye of English clubs so much that he was linked to the Leeds, Sunderland and Southampton jobs.
Southampton one step away from making Will Still mistake which nobody expected..
Tom Cleverley has been pictured at Southampton’s U21 game and may become the new Saints boss instead of relatively much proven manager Will Still.
In between the Everton and Arsenal matchdays, Southampton have displayed a good sense of urgency to bring in a new manager. Even Sky Sports mirrored these feelings and suggested that Will Still is set to be handed the keys to the Saints dressing room.
At this point, the whole manager search was concluding well. But then, Southampton have intervened to pull off a Southampton again at the final hurdle.
Yes, this time the Saints are on track to lose Will Still, similar to the countless Premier League points they have dropped from winning positions.
Southampton showing interest in Cleverley despite Still’s availability
According to journalist Joe Bray, Southampton has inclined towards hiring Tom Cleverley at the expense of Still.
In his own words, Joe said: “Tom Cleverley is at the City Southampton under-21 game tonight – reportedly in talks over the vacant Saints job”.
Talking about Cleverley, he is a decent coach and can likely bring Southampton into the playoffs. But going all the way and achieving a Premier League spot, that’s a far cry for Cleverley, that too in his debut season.
Plus, the Manchester United midfielder hasn’t managed in the Premier League so far, so Southampton will be bound to restart their coaching hunt from scratch again.
Honestly, these problems are almost certain to be avoided by hiring Will Still and backing him in the transfer markets.
But again, it’s Southampton we are talking about who have made it a routine habit of distancing them from shrewd managers. And this season, they can end up rejecting the elite trio of Carlos Corberan, Danny Rohl and Will Still who are almost guaranteed to fare better at their new clubs.
Clearly that’s a disappointing move for the fans who expected Southampton to show ambition and a better transfer vision this time around.
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