“Great opportunity” – 33-year-old on talks with Sunderland directors over Black Cats move

Will Still has confirmed talks with Sunderland, at a time when there were intense rumours about him moving to the club.

He spoke to Canal+ on Sunday and L’Equipe cover his comments on Sunderland. The club considered appointing the 33-year-old in December 2023, after parting ways with Tony Mowbray.

Still, who was then at Stade de Reims, never reached an agreement with the Black Cats. They ended up appointing Michael Beale before showing him the exit door after two months.

Born in Belgium to English parents, Still was again linked to the English club before they appointed Régis Le Bris in June 2024. Later that year, he blamed others for the Sunderland drama, suggesting nothing had been going on and it was down to the media.

The former Southampton manager has now confirmed he held talks with Sunderland in December 2023.

“I never actually went to Sunderland. My wife and I have a house in London,” he said.

“I did talk to the Sunderland management, but never with the intention of saying, ‘I’m going to leave Reims right away’.

“It was more like, ‘I don’t want to die stupid. If there’s an opportunity… I didn’t want to deceive Stade de Reims. There was a big opportunity. Could we discuss it, exchange ideas? Yeah, why not?’ That’s what I did, and I know it was very badly perceived.”

Sunderland and their supporters would be please they ended up with Le Bris. Last season, he helped them return to the Premier League.

That return is going very well and they’re currently seventh in the table, having beaten Newcastle United on Sunday.

Still has been without a job since Southampton showed him the exit door in November.