New Will Still development emerges amid Sunderland and Norwich City interest | OneFootball

There have been further developments revealed amid Sunderland and Norwich City's interest in the former Stade de Reims boss, Will Still.

The Black Cats have been in search of a new manager for some time now, with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus yet to appoint a successor for Michael Beale, and with Mike Dodds ending the season in the caretaker hotseat. Meanwhile, Norwich sacked David Wagner immediately after losing to Leeds United in the play-off semi-finals.

After an underwhelming season of stagnation in the second tier in finishing 16th in the league, there are bound to be a number of changes behind the scenes at the Stadium of Light, with the futures of many players up for discussion in both the short and long-term, as well as the need for a new man in the dugout.

Both clubs are now in need of making an appointment as early as possible for the right candidate to help transition the club into next season.

Dodds was only in interim charge but the club have had four permanent managers in two years and are in need of the next boss to take what is the youngest squad by average age in the Championship to the next level. Sunderland's Sporting Director, Kristjaan Speakman, recently stated that they would be willing to pay a compensation fee to a club in order to get the manager that they wanted.

Still remains in the frame for the head coach vacancy at Sunderland, according to the latest from Football Insider. The 31-year-old is still in with a chance of becoming the permanent successor to Beale following an interview with the club's hierarchy.

The Black Cats are said to have held reservations over Still’s suitability for the role, but those concerns have been played down. It is expected that the new head coach will have to work alongside the current backroom and coaching staff, while also fitting in with the club’s current model, but there remains no concrete progress as of yet.

The latest on Will Still's future

As first reported by Talk Norwich City and BBC Norfolk's Chris Reeve, Norwich have held talks with the former Reims boss. The 31-year-old was at the Canaries’ training ground earlier last week amid interest in his appointment.

It looked as though Sunderland could be set to miss out on Still after he held talks with Norwich City last week, but the Canaries are closing in on the appointment of FC Nordsjaelland manager Johannes Hoff Thorup, meaning Belgian-born manager remains available and they have a clear run at securing his services.

The latest comes from Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, who is reporting that Still has changed agency to Unique Sport Group, and remains on the radar of English clubs. Similar news has also been stated by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano:

According to a recent report from Football Insider, despite the Black Cats board having "initial reservations about his suitability for the role", Still "remains firmly in the running" to take charge at the Stadium of Light after being interviewed for the role.

He made the headlines when he took charge of Reims at the age of 30 last season, and he went unbeaten in his first 17 league games. In doing so, the club was fined €25,000 every game due to Still not holding a UEFA Pro License.

Sunderland's next manager

Sunderland must be desperate to get this right, as it has the potential to catapult the club back into the promotion reckoning again in 2024/25.

They have done an excellent job in terms of recruitment and giving the club plenty of high-value young assets in terms of the playing squad, but Beale was a disaster after the good work of Tony Mowbray.

The Black Cats require a manager to steer the club and this young group towards the right end of the table, and Still has plenty of the credentials to do that, should his attainability improve following the agency change.