RC Lens CEO Pierre Dreossi has spoken out on the appointment of previous Sunderland manager target Will Still.
RC Lens have officially beaten Sunderland to the appointment of Will Still, 31, who was a long-term manager target for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
The Belgian-English coach left Reims at the start of May, freeing him up for a potential move to the Stadium of Light.
After some weeks of back and forth, Still agreed to become the next Sunderland manager before pulling out at the last minute.
It was claimed that Still had concerns over the budget and the make up of the staff, but he was immediately linked with RC Lens where he’s since landed the job.
Still signs a three-year contract with the Ligue 1 club who finished in 7th place of the French top flight last season, qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
Sunderland meanwhile finished in 16th place of the Championship table last season, only ending the campaign with a six-point gap to the bottom three.
RC Lens CEO speaks out after beating Sunderland to Will Still
RC Lens officially announced Still as their new head coach on Monday, and club CEO Pierre Dreossi had this to say: “We are delighted with the arrival of Will Still at the Racing Club de Lens.
“Will was our top priority to take up the position of coach and start the new cycle that is opening at the club.
“Will is not only a promising coach who has broken records for precociousness, he is a unifying personality obsessed with winning.
“A true enthusiast, conqueror and fine tactician, Will Still left his mark on the Stade de Reims, where he obtained convincing results, notably a historic series of 19 matches without defeat.
“We are happy to welcome Will, his leadership and his communicative energy to La Gaillette and Bollaert-Delelis!”
Sunderland are now set for further talks with Liam Rosenior, with Pascal Jansen out of contention.
Pierre Dreossi comments are worrying for Sunderland
RC Lens is an obvious attraction; a top flight team playing in Europe next season, albeit having to make it through the qualification stages.
But the fact that Still previously expressed his desire to manage in England, and his willingness to manage in the Championship, only to turn down Sunderland and stay in France, says a lot about the current state of affair at Sunderland.
It’s a very difficult job for coaches to come into. Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman run a very tight ship and it’s arguably not a conventional head coach role.
That, and the fact that resources are perhaps limited compared to the likes of RC Lens, makes Sunderland a somewhat unattractive job for a lot of managers, despite the size of the club and its potential.
But Sunderland look to have quickly moved on after this blow of missing out on Still who was previously the main man in demand at the club.
Rosenior appears to be the front-runner, and the only front-runner at this stage with Jansen now out of contention.
If a move for Rosenior falls through now, it would be very worrying for Sunderland supporters.