Southampton have confirmed the appointment of Will Still as their new manager, with the Englishman signing a three-year deal.

Still recently left French side Lens and succeeds Ivan Juric, who left the Saints in April after their Premier League relegation was confirmed.  

The move comes after the 32-year-old announced last week that he was returning to England to be closer to his partner Emma Saunders. 

The pair were in attendance at St Mary’s as Southampton hosted Arsenal in their final game of the campaign and Still was seen shaking hands with Mikel Arteta. 

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.

Still, who became the youngest coach in Europe’s top five leagues, when he joined Ligue 1 side Reims in October 2022, has gained rave reviews for the work he has done during his early managerial career at Lierse and Beerschot in Belgium and latterly at Reims and Lens in France. 

Southampton have confirmed the appointment of Will Still as their boss on a three-year deal

Southampton have confirmed the appointment of Will Still as their boss on a three-year deal

Still left French side Lens and succeeds Ivan Juric, who left the Saints in April after relegation

Still left French side Lens and succeeds Ivan Juric, who left the Saints in April after relegation

Still and Saunders were in attendance at St Mary's and Still shook hands with Mikel Arteta

Still and Saunders were in attendance at St Mary’s and Still shook hands with Mikel Arteta 

Southampton will hope to bounce straight back up from the Championship next season in Still’s first season in charge. 

After signing for the club, Still said: ‘There is huge potential here and we have a great opportunity to do something special.

‘The project that has been laid out to me is very impressive and, all together, I believe we can build a clear identity and a very positive future for the team.

‘I’m eager to get to work this summer and start building a close-knit group that can make everyone proud and ultimately get us back to where we belong; in the Premier League.’

Group technical director Johannes Spors added: ‘Will is a young, innovative manager who has already gained significant experience, and we have been extremely impressed both by his track record and our conversations with him.

‘What was very apparent in our discussions was the clarity of his philosophy and the identity he wants his teams to have, but also his willingness and ability to adapt to different situations as they present themselves, which will be an important quality in the Championship next season.

‘We were very impressed by his personality and his values, and we feel he will be an excellent fit for the culture we are looking to build at Staplewood.’

Lens released a statement thanking Still for his ‘investment’ during his spell at the club and said he ’embodied the values of RCL through his resilience and his passionate and authentic personality’

The pair attended St Mary's as Southampton took on Arsenal in their final game of the season

The pair attended St Mary’s as Southampton took on Arsenal in their final game of the season

The 32-year-old will hope to bring Southampton back to the Premier League on their first go

The 32-year-old will hope to bring Southampton back to the Premier League on their first go

Still said he would leave Lens so he could return to England and spend time with Saunders

Still said he would leave Lens so he could return to England and spend time with Saunders

They also confirmed that his brothers, Edward and Nicolas, will leave the club.

Still has won 55 of his 127 games as a manager and his record has made him one of the most highly rated young English managers out there.

He has been linked with returning to England over the past few years and had come close to joining Sunderland last summer.

Southampton, who were also linked with Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, have been searching for a new manager since Ivan Juric was sacked last month, with Simon Rusk having assumed interim charge for the rest of the campaign.

Meanwhile, explaining his decision to depart Lens last week after their final game of the campaign – a 4-0 home win over Monaco – Still revealed it was due to personal reasons, saying he ‘needed to go home’.

‘It is a logical choice for me to be closer to my wife,’ Still said. ‘For her well-being.’

‘I won’t be the coach of RC Lens next season. It was the last season at Bollaert, for multiple reasons. The main reason that pushed me to make this decision is the fact that I need to go home. Everyone is well aware of what happened in my life. That’s why.

‘I had a lot of fun, I think we achieved great things despite everything. I’ve been in France for four years, four years that I’ve experienced intense moments.’

Saunders had attended the final game and posted a picture alongside her boyfriend on the pitch after the match with the caption: ‘Bravo @wrstill.’

Saunders was in attendance at Still's final game at Lens last Saturday - a 4-0 win over Monaco

Saunders was in attendance at Still’s final game at Lens last Saturday – a 4-0 win over Monaco

Emma Saunders is a presenter and reporter for Sky Sports and is recovering from illness

Emma Saunders is a presenter and reporter for Sky Sports and is recovering from illness

The new Southampton boss said would be leaving France due to personal circumstances

The new Southampton boss said would be leaving France due to personal circumstances

Still went viral a few 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.

During his time at Reims, the club had to pay £22,000 every time he took charge of a game because he did not have a UEFA Pro Licence.

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.

On the other hand, his partner 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.

However, Saunders posted a picture to her Instagram account from her hospital bed in March, explaining her situation to her 71,500 followers and thanking her English manager boyfriend in a heartwarming post. She began dating Still last year and the duo went public with their relationship during Euro 2024.

Southampton took on Arsenal at St Mary's in their final game of the Premier League campaign

Southampton took on Arsenal at St Mary’s in their final game of the Premier League campaign

The Saints have been looking for a new manager since sacking Ivan Juric last month

The Saints have been looking for a new manager since sacking Ivan Juric last month

Holding a stuffed giraffe teddy, she opened up on her recent condition and fans and colleagues flooded the comments section with messages of support.

The caption read: ‘Hi folks. Unfortunately life took a bit of an unexpected turn a couple of weeks ago and I’m now off work while I recover from Encephalitis – an infection of the brain.

‘I hope it won’t be long until I’m back to see out the end of 2024/25 – especially after missing part of the start of the season before this when I was treated for Thyroid cancer.

‘So, as I spend time now recovering and rebuilding again – I just wanted to thank my family & friends for their rock solid support, my colleagues at Sky for their patience allowing me the time to heal, and our wonderful NHS for their extraordinary kindness and care. And of course you Will Still just for being you & being there for me.’

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