Reason Will Still’s Sunderland move fell through as Southampton prepare for Championship promotion push

Add as preferred source on Google

Southampton are preparing for life in the Championship and could face Sunderland next season if the Black Cats fail to earn promotion, with a familiar face potentially in the opposition dugout.

Former Sunderland striker Ross Stewart’s Southampton side will be competing in the Championship next season following the Saints’ dismal Premier League campaign culminating in relegation last weekend.

Stewart switched from Sunderland to Southampton in a £10m deal ahead of last season, but injuries have kept Stewart largely out of action for Southampton, and will be a Championship striker once again next season if he stays with the Saints.

Southampton began the season with Russell Martin at the helm, who masterminded their play-off final win over Leeds last summer but sacked him in December. Ivan Juric replaced Martin but failed to turn the tide on their relegation and Southampton are now on the hunt for a new coach next season.

If Sunderland fail to earn promotion, they will face the Saints next season and they could be spearheaded by a familiar face.

• READ MORE: West Brom captain reveals where season has gone wrong

Former Sunderland target Will Still in frame for Southampton job

Will Still was a name on the lips of the Sunderland supporter base last summer after he was persistently linked with becoming Michael Beale’s permanent successor.

Still was one of many names linked, including Pascal Jansen and Liam Rosenior, prior to Regis Le Bris’ eventual appointment by the Wearside hierarchy in late June last year.

Still snubbed Sunderland in favour of Ligue 1 side RC Lens, after the Black Cats made him their top target and it seemed inevitable the English-Belgian coach would arrive on Wearside. Still’s Lens currently sits ninth in Ligue 1 during his first season as head coach.

32-year-old Still has emerged as a ‘potential option’ for Southampton in their pursuit of a new head coach that can spearhead their instant promotion push for next season.

Transfer expert Graeme Bailey has lifted the lid on Sunderland’s ill-fated attempts to secure Still’s services last summer, ahead of an awkward potential encounter being on the cards next season.

Bailey said: “Will Still was Sunderland’s top choice to take charge last year, he had agreed terms and he was looking for houses in the area. It was just the make-up of his staff where the deal fell down – it was that close to being done.

“A lot of people probably forget about Still being so close, given the huge success that has been seen under Regis Le Bris.”

• READ MORE: Birmingham City are ‘in talks’ for League One superstar

Liam Rosenior also in contention for Southampton job

Another former Sunderland head coach target on Southampton’s radar is former Hull City boss Rosenior.

Rosenior was linked with the Black Cats role, however not as strongly as Still, before Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg snapped up the former Tigers star last summer. 40-year-old Rosenior has been a revelation in the French top flight, taking Strasbourg to fourth place and in contention for Champions League qualification.

Regarding Southampton-linked and former Cats target Rosenior, transfer expert Bailey added: “There was an interest in Liam Rosenior – another highly regarded young coach, and to be fair Rosenior has done superbly well at Strasbourg – it does show that Sunderland do have an eye for a good coach.”

Bailey’s appraisal of Sunderland’s recruitment team, spearheaded by Kristjaan Speakman, has certainly been proven correct this season. Still and Rosenior have impressed in the French top division and are firm candidates that the Saints may opt for to help gain promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The option the Wearside hierarchy appointed last summer, current Black Cats boss Le Bris has also been remarkable this term, spearheading Sunderland’s stunning promotion charge and helping book his side a spot in the Championship play-offs with five games to spare.

If the dominos fall during the upcoming play-off campaign and Le Bris’ Black Cats fail to achieve promotion back to the Premier League promised land, with Still’s concurrent appointment by Southampton, then there is a potentially awkward encounter on the cards ahead in the 2025/26 Championship.