To say the timing of Will Still’s interview with The Athletic, three days after Michael Beale’s sacking at Sunderland, was coincidental might be giving the manager a bit too much credit, but it certainly made the waves he was hoping for.
The Stade de Reims head coach was already a target for the Black Cats in December after their parting of ways with Tony Mowbray, but the fact they had to pay to get him put the Championship side off, preferring to bring in a free agent instead.
That didn’t work, as Beale was sacked after just 12 games in charge, but Still’s decision to have the interview with the American outlet immediately reignited all the feelings that were swirling around in December when he was initially linked, and its contents haven’t gone down well in France, as Jérémy Rothen had some choice words to send to the manager on Rothen S’enflamme on RMC Sport.
Recalling that Still is under contract with the Ligue 1 side until 2025, the former footballer turned pundit pointed out his issues with the situation.
He said: “It’s problematic, because there was a lot of talk back in December when he came out for the first time with the whole Sunderland thing, if I remember correctly. He explained that he was focused on Stade de Reims, but that’s completely false.
“A few months later, three months later, he drops an interview like this one when you have a project that could still be interesting at Reims, at least until the end of the season.
“Then you tell us that from June, regardless of what happens, your head is turned while you have a year left on your contract. If I were President Caillot: I offered him the role without his diplomas, paid a fine, gave him the chance to manage the first team, and you sabotage me like that? It’s more than being ungrateful.
“I think he’s disconnected from what’s happening. Go back two years, I think if he really remembered where he comes from and where he was then, he wouldn’t speak like this. A complete lack of respect for Stade de Reims.”
Sunderland have already made it clear they would not be hiring a new manager until the end of the season, handing Mike Dodds the interim role for the time being.
Therefore, with Still making it clear he wants to come back to England as well as being open to a team in the Championship with the right project, we are bound to have a lot of talk regarding a potential move to the Stadium of Light in the coming months.
Either way, many in France aren’t happy with the way he has handled matters, and it will be interesting to see how Reims react to all this publicly in the next few weeks.
