Will Still drops new claim on 'advanced' Bristol City situation | OneFootball

Will Still has opened up on the speculation that linked him with the Bristol City vacancy earlier this summer

Bristol City will be hoping to get back into promotion contention next season under Michael Skubala.

The Robins finished 12th in 2025/26, falling out of the top six after earning a play-off place the campaign prior.

Gerhard Struber was appointed as head coach 12 months ago, but he was dismissed in March due to their underwhelming results.

Roy Hodgson came out of retirement to oversee the remainder of the season, with the Championship side ultimately coming 11 points adrift of Hull City in sixth.

But it was Skubala who was picked to take charge of the team for the upcoming campaign, with the 43-year-old making the switch from Lincoln City.

However, Will Still was among the names linked with the role following his exit from Southampton in November 2025.

Will Still explains Bristol City decision after Auxerre move

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Still has explained that he made the decision not to join Bristol City due to his gut instinct, with the 33-year-old instead preferring a move back to French football.

The former Southampton boss explained that he held talks with former coaches that he had worked with, suggesting that Auxerre was not just a fallback option, and that he chose the French side over other clubs.

“I spoke to them both (Djibril Cisse and Jean-Alain Boumsong),” said Still, via L’Equipe.

“I was at an advanced stage with other clubs, such as Lorient and Bristol [City].

“And I said to myself: ‘Let your instincts guide you’.

“It was Auxerre, a very approachable club, on a very human scale.

“I’d heard a few things.

“But people don’t know anything.

“On the radio, they said: ‘He needs to prove himself again. Auxerre is a fallback option’.

“No. I’d had opportunities during the season, like Paris FC and Nantes.

“But I wanted to take my time.

“People forget that I’m only 33.

“There are lots of things in football that I struggle with.”

Still earned a positive reputation for his work in France, guiding Reims and Lens to positive results in Ligue 1, before he made the switch to Southampton last summer.

The 33-year-old was expected to lead the Saints to promotion to the Premier League following their relegation under Ivan Juric.

He will now be looking to turn around his reputation after a disastrous spell at St. Mary’s in which he lasted just 16 games in charge.

Tonda Eckert replaced Still at Southampton, and he led the club to a fourth place finish in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Skubala is taking the step-up to the Championship with the Robins after leading Lincoln to promotion from League One.

Bristol City have completed several signings already this summer in a bid to get back into promotion contention in 2026/27.

Lorent Tolaj has joined from Plymouth Argyle, while Lisav Naif Eissat, Sam Greenwood, Jed Wallace and Brad Collins have also been signed.

Sam Tickle and Gibson Ya round out the remainder of their first team additions, with their first league game of the season coming on 15 August against Millwall.

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Michael Skubala appointment is an exciting alternative to Will Still

Still could’ve been a good appointment for Bristol City, as he did some good work with Southampton outfit and got quite unlucky with a bad finishing streak.

But Skubala is a strong alternative option given the excellent work he did to bring Lincoln to the Championship with fewer resources than their rivals.

Bristol City fans will be hopeful going into the new campaign that this squad can get results under the 43-year-old.

And perhaps Still will make his return to English football someday, where he will be out to show everyone that he has what it takes to work at this level.