Southampton finalise new manager before Arsenal game | OneFootball

Will Still has agreed a three-year deal with Southampton after leaving Lens, with his appointment to be finalised just before the club host Arsenal on Sunday.

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Will Still will be confirmed as Southampton’s new manager on a three-year deal, with the club completing terms before they face Arsenal on the final day of the Premier League season.

Still, 32, joins from Lens, having announced last weekend that he would be leaving the French club to return to the UK. Talks accelerated this week, with personal terms agreed for both Still and his backroom staff.

He replaces Ivan Juric, who was dismissed in April following Southampton’s relegation.

“This is a decision based on a lot of things,” Still told reporters. “For multiple reasons, the main reason behind my decision is that I need to go back home.”

Born in Belgium to English parents, Still has never worked in the UK despite being widely known for his unconventional route into management. He began his coaching career in Belgium at Lierse and Beerschot, before moving to Reims and then Lens.

Southampton have won just twice in the league this season and were relegated with seven matches still to play, the earliest relegation in Premier League history, despite them narrowly manging to avoid Derby’s record points low of 11. They currently have 12.

Interim manager Simon Rusk, who will step down following Sunday’s game against Arsenal, said: “Everyone this year at this football club, as difficult as it has been, when we reflect, will have new layers as a person, as a footballer. The more experience you have in life, the more robust you can be if you use it properly.”

Sunday’s match against Arsenal will come too soon for Still to take charge, though his appointment has already been communicated internally. Arsenal, who will finish second in the Premier League for the third year running, will be looking to sign off with a win at St Mary’s.

Although Southampton are already relegated, they have a respectable record against Arsenal at home. All eight of their Premier League wins over Arsenal have come at home, including a 1-0 victory in April 2022.

The last time these two sides met on the final day was in 2001, when Southampton won 3-2 in the final match played at The Dell.

Kick-off at St Mary’s is at 4pm, in line with the rest of Sunday’s fixtures.