Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Lens and Reims manager Will Still as their new head coach from the 2025-26 season onwards.
The 32-year-old will take the reins as the permanent successor to Ivan Juric, who prematurely left the Saints after their relegation to the Championship was confirmed.
Simon Rusk stepped in to oversee operations on an interim basis, and the caretaker manager succeeded in his endeavour to surpass Derby County's record low Premier League points total.
Rusk was never expected to be a candidate for the permanent job, though, and the 43-year-old will manage Southampton one last time against Arsenal on Sunday before Still officially takes charge.
The 32-year-old becomes the second-youngest permanent head coach in the Premier League, only behind Brighton & Hove Albion's Fabian Hurzeler, whom he is only four months older than.
Still signs three-year Southampton contract until 2028
In the building 😍 pic.twitter.com/D0i3iZYnlQ
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 25, 2025
Southampton have also confirmed that Still has penned a three-year contract with the Saints until the summer of 2028, and the Belgian-born coach talked up the sporting project that was presented to him.
"I'm extremely proud and excited to have joined Southampton – there is huge potential here and we have a great opportunity to do something special," Still told the official Southampton website. "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 can't wait to meet you, the fans. I look forward to hearing you in voice, and feeling the energy and belief at St Mary's and beyond. 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."
The Saints' Group Technical Director Johannes Spors added: "Will is a young, innovative manager who has already gained significant experience throughout his career, 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."
Still's managerial history assessed following Southampton arrival
© Imago
Already something of a meme in the footballing world - in a good way - Still's pathway into coaching is unconventional and incredibly well-documented, as he was inspired to get into management by the Football Manager and Championship Manager games.
While undertaking his studies, a teenage Still took on the role of assistant manager for Preston North End's Under-14s, which preceded several different spells as a video analyst in his native Belgian.
Still's first head coach gig in the big five European leagues came at Ligue 1 outfit Reims in late 2022, where he went unbeaten in his first 14 games in charge, but the club were memorably fined £21,000 for every game he managed due to him not holding a UEFA Pro Licence.
Following two mid-table finishes with Reims, Still was appointed Lens manager last summer and led Les Sang et Or to eighth place in the Ligue 1 rankings, signing off with an astounding 4-0 thrashing of Monaco last weekend.
Ben Knapton
