Will Still is in talks to become the next manager of a Premier League club, according to a report.
The 32-year-old announced on Saturday that he is leaving his role as manager of French club Lens to move back to England and be closer to his girlfriend Emma Saunders.
Saunders – a presenter and matchday reporter for Sky Sports – was treated for thyroid cancer at the start of the current season and is now recovering from a brain infection called encephalitis.
Saunders attended Lens’ final game of the season on Saturday – a 4-0 home win over Monaco – and posted a picture alongside her boyfriend on the pitch after the match with the caption: ‘Bravo @wrstill.’
Still explained after the game that his decision to leave Lens was due to personal reasons, and that he ‘needed to go home’.
And it appears that the young coach is close to securing the switch in environment he desires, as he is in talks to become Southampton’s next manager, as per The Independent.
Will Still is in talks to become Southampton’s next manager this summer, according to a report
The 32-year-old announced on Saturday that he stepped down as boss of French side Lens
His decision was made so he could return to England and spend time with his sick girlfriend
The Championship-bound Saints are believed to be confident in getting a deal over the line.
Russell Martin oversaw Southampton’s nightmare start to the season before he was promptly swapped for Ivan Juric in hopes of turning their fortunes around.
But the Croatian boss failed to do so, only lasting 107 days in the role before he was let go.
Simon Rusk was appointed as interim manager for Southampton’s remaining seven fixtures of the season, assisted by former player Adam Lallana.
Now, the south coast club will look to go ‘one and done’ in the Championship and return to the top flight for the 2026-27 season, with Still as one of their managerial hopefuls.
Still went viral a matter of years ago when he became the youngest manager in Europe’s top five leagues as the boss of Reims in France at the age of 30.
His journey into coaching was partly inspired by his passion for the video game ‘Football Manager’, which encouraged him to switch his playing career for management when he was 17.
She was in attendance to watch Still’s final game at Lens on Saturday – a 4-0 win over Monaco
On the other hand, his girlfriend Saunders has been a big voice for fronting women’s football on BBC Sport, alongside her work at Sky.
Seen as a trailblazer for women’s broadcasting in sport and football, she’s also worked as a stadium presenter for major sporting events including England internationals, the World Cup, Six Nations Rugby matches, and the first-ever MLB game in the UK.
Saunders began her broadcasting career on the student radio at the University of Southampton, and she soon joined the BBC’s reporting scheme with a placement in London before embarking on a post-graduate scheme and joining Watford on the club’s in-house channels.
She also became the first-ever female stadium announcer at a Premier League club in the process, and began working at both Sky and BBC as her career progressed.
