Will Still’s recent comments have suggested he may reject a move to Sunderland.
As per Foot Mercato, the Reims manager recently shut down rumours that he could be joining Olympique Lyonnais.
Will Still initially joined Reims as an assistant coach, before he was installed as the club’s first team manager in 2022 – at 30 years old.
The French outfit were fined €25,000 for every match that Still was in charge as he didn’t hold a UEFA Pro Licence, however they kept him on as he set a new Ligue 1 record when they went 17 games unbeaten.
Reims finished in eleventh place and has continued to impress this term, with his side currently sat fifth in Ligue 1 – three points from a place in the Champions League qualifiers.
Still was favourite to take the Lyon job following Laurent Blanc’s exit in September, while the report claims he has continued to be linked with the switch as Lyon look to potentially sack a third manager this season.
However, Still’s comments in Reims’ press conference last week has suggested that he is happy where he is.
“Yes, it happened to me. I smiled at it, I laughed at it the other day. What is strange is that my name is mentioned every time a coach is fired,” he said.
“Does it float the ego? It’s not bad! But I don’t take my head. I said it, I stayed at the Stade de Reims for a reason and the Stade de Reims is very, very good for now. We’ll see what happens next but it’s not on the agenda.
“Lyon? I was not contacted at all.”
What does this mean for Sunderland?
Will Still has suggested that he has no desire to join Lyon – so does that mean he doesn’t want to leave Reims, or just that he isn’t prepared to jump ship for a crumbling club on the verge of relegation and financial crisis?
There would surely be no temptation to join a struggling club in the same league and have to try and rescue them from relegation – 16 points below his current side.
While Sunderland are in the second division of English football, it could well seem like a more exciting proposition.
The Black Cats are a club on the up. We have young players, a young owner and a lot of ambition.
Still has previously admitted that he would manage in the Championship and has used Vincent Kompany’s success as a reference.
The 31-year-old may see Sunderland as a way of reaching the Premier League, while he could also be tempted by a return to England.
It is certainly a very ambitious move from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, but one that many fans will hope happens.