Will Stays in France as New Lens Manager

Will Still has been confirmed as the new manager of French side Lens.

He had been out of work since leaving Reims at the start of May.

Still was in charge of Reims for 65 games, having become the youngest head coach in Europe’s top five leagues when he was appointed back in October 2022.

The 31-year-old has signed a three-year contract with Lens until the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

He has replaced Franck Haise, who recently left Lens to take over at Nice. 

Thirty-one-year-old Still left fellow French outfit Reims in May following 18 months in charge

‘We are delighted with the arrival of Will Still,’ said Lens sporting director Pierre Dreossi.

‘He left his mark on Reims and was our top priority to take up the post. He is a promising coach, a fine tactician and is obsessed with winning.’

Still – who was born in Belgium to English parents and is fluent in three languages – hit the headlines early on during his spell as Reims boss as the club were forced to pay a £22,000 fine every time he took charge of a game.

This is because he did not hold a UEFA Pro Licence qualification at the time.

Lens were not the only club interested in hiring Still this summer. 

Still – who was previously linked with West Ham – held talks with Sunderland and appeared to be a strong contender to replace Michael Beale, who was sacked in February.

However, Lens ultimately did more to convince Still to sign after making it clear that he was their first choice.

Still – who was born in Belgium to English parents – recently held talks with Sunderland

He will call the Stade Bollaert-Delelis his home next season, rather than the Stadium of Light

Lens will compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League next season after finishing fifth in Ligue 1.

Meanwhile, Sunderland are set for a third consecutive campaign in the EFL Championship following a 16th-place finish in the 2023/24 edition.

The Black Cats ended the season under the stewardship of caretaker manager Mike Dodds but he is not in the running to keep the job full time.

Former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior is currently the favourite to become the new Sunderland manager, while Rene Maric and Gerhard Struber have also been cited as potential candidates.