Sunderland chiefs will have definitely clocked what Reims boss Will Still said in an interview last week.
Sunderland sacked Michael Beale last month and now have another managerial appointment to contend with this summer.
But Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman have given themselves plenty of time to find the right man, placing Mike Dodds in temporary charge.
Though with results poor and shining a light on not only the poor decision to sack Tony Mowbray, followed by the decision to hire Beale, but also the flaws with the recruitment strategy, this next appointment has to be right.
Will Still is Sunderland’s ideal next manager
Insider Graeme Bailey previously said that Reims boss Still is Sunderland’s ‘ideal’ next manager appointment in the summer.
The 31-year-old, Belgian-English coach currently manages Reims in the French Ligue 1.
He started turning heads after guiding the club to a 19-game unbeaten run last season, having this season stabilised the club in the French top tier.
Reims currently sit in 9th place of the table and are only four points outside the European football places with eight games of the season to go.
Reims no longer paying fine for hiring Will Still
Last week, Still appeared on talkSPORT.
He gave a very interesting interview and some of his comments will have surely caught the attention of Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman at Sunderland.
Still revealed that Reims are no longer paying fines for having an unlicensed manager in place, telling Alan Brazil:
“No, that fine has finally come to an end as the Pro License course that I’m on has started.”
Still added: “I’ve not finished it, but I’ve started it and I’m enrolled in it, so it’s ongoing.”
West Ham are another team reportedly interested in hiring Still this summer, and asked hypothetically if he’d talk to West Ham should they approach him in the summer, Still said:
“I’d have a think about it.”
Will Still could be Sunderland saviour
Everything about Still to Sunderland seems to make sense.
The playing squad is very young and a very young coach like Still could be the ideal mentor to take them forward as a group.
Not only that, but he’s proving to be a very good coach who favours attacking and exciting football, later saying in his talkSPORT interview that he likes to give players freedom to express themselves.
Right now, the Sunderland players seem to be still recovering from the hardship of playing under the very negative Beale, so Still could be the perfect remedy to get these players firing once again.
And the fact that Still is now studying for his pro license is good news for Sunderland and any other interested team, as it greatly reduces the cost of potentially hiring this summer as no fines will have to be paid.
Lastly, Still’s comments on the West Ham job suggest that he’s open to discussing new opportunities in the summer; whilst West Ham would be a dream job for the boyhood Hammers fan, he seems smart, and Still may feel like a Championship job could be a better step for him this summer.
Still then definitely seems to be a viable option for the Black Cats, who could have a very exciting summer ahead.