Former Southampton manager Will Still has been linked with a return to management at Nantes, although he is no longer in the running to take over the French club.
After successful periods in France with Reims and Lens, Still returned to English football this summer, taking over as manager of Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League.
The Saints were generally expected to contend for a quick return to the top tier under Still, especially after signing a slew of big-money players such as Caspar Jander, Tom Fellows, Finn Azaz, Leo Scienza, and Damion Downs, but that did not happen.
Despite winning only four of his 16 games in command of Southampton in all competitions, drawing six and losing six, he was fired in early November, with his team narrowly outside the Championship relegation zone.
In a candid interview following his departure from St Mary’s, Still admitted that he “didn’t do well enough” during his brief spell at the club, and while he insisted that he was planning to “take the time to do things right for the next step” before returning to work, it appears that he has been on the radar of a number of clubs over the past month.
Still reportedly in talks with Norwich City about their vacant managerial position prior to Philippe Clement’s appointment, and Nantes are the latest club he has been linked with since being fired by the Saints, but according to French outlet L’Équipe, he is now out of the running for the job.
Following Southampton’s exit, a new twist develops in Will Still’s predicament with Nantes.
While Nantes still officially has a manager, Luis Castro was said to be on the verge of being fired at the Estadio de la Beaujoire, with the 45-year-old no longer speaking with some members of the club’s board, particularly after publicly criticising the quality of his squad.
Castro joined Nantes in the summer following a successful term in charge of second-tier Dunkerque, but he has won only two of his 15 games, drawing five and losing eight.
Nantes were upset 2-1 at home by league leaders Lens on Saturday, and they fell into the automatic relegation zone the next day as Auxerre beat Metz, and it appeared that defeat would be the last straw for Castro.
Still was rumored to be one of the names under consideration by Nantes as they considered a managerial move, but L’Équipe claims that option has now been “closed” and Castro will be given until the winter break to turn his side’s fortunes around.
While Still’s tenure at Southampton did not go as planned, he built a reputation for himself during his 18-month stint at Reims before leading Lens to an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, and while he will not be taking over at Nantes, he appears to be well respected in French football.
Will Still’s return to France would make sense following the Southampton catastrophe.
Still was regarded as one of Europe’s most brilliant young managers prior to his move to Southampton, but despite having one of the Championship’s strongest squads at his disposal, his time at St Mary’s was disastrous.
The Saints’ substantial improvement under Tonda Eckert in recent weeks does not reflect well on Still, but given that he has been connected with Norwich and Nantes since his departure, it appears that his poor tenure on the South Coast has not done much damage to his reputation.
After his Southampton defeat, Still will be eager to show himself in English football, but a return to France may be the ideal option for him to get his career back on track, and he will undoubtedly be on the radar of other Ligue 1 clubs throughout the season.
xz
