Sunderland parted ways with Michael Beale yesterday, and already Will Still has come back into the conversation among fans.
When Sunderland sacked Tony Mowbray in December, Reims boss Still was being heavily linked.
The 31-year-old Belgian-English coach is turning heads in Ligue 1 with Reims who currently sit in 8th place of the table, with Still having won 23 of his 56 games in charge (41.07%).
Now with Beale gone after a turbulent 12-game spell, many Sunderland fans online are calling for the club to hire Still in the summer, with Mike Dodds in charge until then.
It was widely reported that Sunderland opted for Beale after being unwilling to pay Still’s Reims compensation, and Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus knew the compensation fee all along.
Reims commanding £4.28million compensation
Whether Still remains a target for Sunderland remains to be seen; but given his previous links and the fact that Sunderland could have plenty of money to spend in the summer if they sell Jack Clarke, it seems highly probably that Still will still be in the thinking at the Stadium of Light.
And if Louis-Dreyfus really is keen on Still, he’ll have to pay Reims £4.28million in compensation, or €5million.
At the time of Still’s initial links to Sunderland, it was reported that Reims wanted €5million compensation for the young coach.
Will Still to Sunderland could be perfectly timed this summer
Sunderland looked very keen on Still before they hired Beale.
They would’ve done their research on him before, but it seemed like the hefty compensation fee put them off.
More than £4million for a Championship club is a lot of money; even for Sunderland who aren’t the worst off, and who aren’t afraid to spend money in the transfer market.
And with Clarke looking highly likely to move on in the summer, for a big transfer fee as well, it could be the perfect time for Sunderland to then swoop for Still or any other boss who might require a compensation fee.
It would also give Still a full season managing Reims. It’s crucial experience for such a young coach, and then potentially coming into a new club during the summer months would be preferable as he’d have a transfer window and a pre-season to put his stamp on the side.
For the time being though, Dodds is in charge, and he’ll be relishing the chance to manage Sunderland for the next several weeks and potentially guide them back into the top six.
Should that happen, he’ll certainly come back into the running for the job, so Will Still may not be Sunderland’s first-choice in the summer after all.
Sunderland return to action vs Swansea City this weekend.