Who is Will Still? The Sunderland and West Ham United-linked ex-Stade de Reims boss

Sunderland’s Championship campaign finishes on Saturday lunchtime with the visit of Sheffield Wednesday to the Stadium of Light.

And ahead of the game there has been a potentially significant development on the hunt for a new manager. Will Still, it was announced on Thursday afternoon, has left Stade de Reims. Still, previously also linked with West Ham United, has always been a name linked with a move to Sunderland following Tony Mowbray’s sacking last year.

The Ligue 1 side announced that Still would be leaving his role in a statement, effective immediately. It is not known whether Still is a contender for Sunderland’s vacancy but he was a prominent figure in the search to replace Mowbray last December. No move progressed, partly due to the significant compensation figure that would have been owed to the French club. We take a closer look at Still.

Who is Will Still?

Still is a Belgian-English football manager who was head coach of Ligue 1 club Reims in France.

Still has caught the eye of football circles and fans on social media after becoming relatively successful at just 31 years of age and admitting to honing some of his skills on the popular video game Football Manager. The highly-rated coach has impressed as the head coach of Ligue 1 side Reims since taking over last year - leading the team to an eleventh-placed finish last year after a difficult start to the campaign.

What has Will Still said about managing in England - and the Championship?

In an interview with The Athletic in February he stated he would be open to joining an 'ambitious' second-tier club. "It’s just home,” Still said. “I want to come home. I’ve been abroad all my life, and I’ve been working in an environment that isn’t quite mine all my life. And I just want to come home.

“I would work for a Championship team without a problem,” Still says. “What I’ve now understood, I’ve now realised, is how important people are. And how important finding the right place to be is going to be for my career. And people who understand the way I work, because I’m a bit different. I’m a bit odd sometimes. But if there’s a Championship club that’s ambitious, that wants to work in the right way and be open and honest about things, and really try and push to get somewhere, then I would love to do that. Obviously, the Premier League is the ultimate dream for any manager in the world. I’m not in a rush, either. It’s not that, if I come to England, I have to go to the Premier League, or I have to go to this or that club. If something fits then it fits, and I’d be just as happy doing that.”

He added: “I’ve never really had a career plan. I’ve never set a timing on anything. I’ve just waited for opportunities to come up; see how it feels, see what it’s like.”

What has Will Still said about previous Sunderland links?

In the same interview Still also opened up on those links with Sunderland, saying that they were genuine but not advanced. "It was a lot of noise for something that never really happened.”

What have Stade de Reims executives said about his exit?

Jean-Pierre Caillot, the club’s president, said: “Stade de Reims would like to thank Will and Nicolas Still for their investment and all these beautiful emotions experienced together. At the heart of a unique club project, known and recognized for its ability to reveal all talents, we are proud to have been able to contribute to the emergence of a coach who knew how to impose his convictions and his playing identity. Will was one of the actors in the new cycle initiated in 2018, and has undoubtedly enabled the SDR to take another step forward, particularly in the context of the internationalization of the locker room. Will, Nico, the big Red and White family thanks you and wishes you the best for the rest of your careers.”