Southampton FC confident of appointing Will Still as talks advance but Tom Cleverley in frame also | OneFootball

Southampton are confident of appointing Will Still as their new manager, although Tom Cleverley is still a contender for the vacancy.

Southampton are confident that they will appoint Will Still as their new manager, although there are other candidates in the running, with Tom Cleverley thought to have impressed.

The Saints have endured a miserable campaign in the top-flight, which saw them become the earliest side to be relegated in Premier League history when it was confirmed back in April.

After winning promotion, Russell Martin was sacked and replaced by Ivan Juric, with the ex-Roma chief then dismissed, leaving Simon Rusk to oversee the remainder of the season.

Southampton identify Will Still as managerial target

For the hierarchy, attention is turning to next season, and the main objective will be to get the new man through the door so they can hit the ground running ahead of pre-season.

As you would expect, a host of names have been linked with the vacancy, with Still now emerging as a frontrunner.

That’s after the Guardian revealed they have held talks with the 32-year-old, who announced he is leaving Lens after their Ligue 1 season finished last night.

The update also states there is ‘confidence’ a deal can be agreed, although there are other options on the table for Saints, with the report claiming that Cleverley has impressed Southampton after discussions.

The ex-Man Utd man is available after he was surprisingly sacked by Watford following their Championship campaign ending earlier this month.

Will Still would be a major coup for Southampton

Even though he is a very young manager, Still’s CV is very impressive, particularly with the work he has done in the French top division over the past few years.

He has shown he is tactically flexible, he can develop players, and, most importantly, he gets positive results, so he ticks a lot of boxes for Saints.

Whoever does take charge will be expected to lead the club back to the Premier League at the first attempt, so there will be a pressure to deliver, but Still would embrace that.

Of course, the prospect of managing in the Premier League long-term is going to appeal, so this is a project that could work for Still as well, even if you would imagine he will have other offers on the table.

So, it will be interesting to see how it plays out, and you could make a case to say that Cleverley would be a very smart appointment as well.