Will Still reveals Sunderland talks - and the very personal reasons behind his decision to leave Lens for Southampton

Will Still has explained the very personal reasons behind his decision to leave Lens for Southampton last summer.

In an interview with Canal Football Club on Canal+, the 33-year-old stated his partner’s thyroid cancer diagnosis in September 2024 and subsequent battle with encephalitis led him to reaching a point in his life where he “needed to go home, take care of her, and find some peace and quiet.”

Still is in a relationship with Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders, who has since recovered from both her cancer and brain infection and returned to live match coverage with the broadcaster.

Will Still explains why his move to Southampton was complicated

Still’s spell at Southampton lasted just 16 games with the one-time internet sensation feeling time out of the game was probably a better call than taking over at St. Mary’s.

The Belgian-English coach has regrets over not “speaking up sooner” as his decision to move on from the Ligue 1 club had nothing to do with football and was “purely personal.”

“I didn’t tell anyone; I only told the players because I had to be away for a day or two. And in February and March, she suffered from encephalitis; her brain swelled, and she spent ten days in a coma. I had reached a point in my life, and not just in my coaching career, where I needed to go home, take care of her, and find some peace and quiet” added Still.

Still’s move to the south coast club was also dictated by his partner’s illness and her connection to the area. “I met with Southampton. Emma had studied there, part of her family knew the area well, it’s not too far from her family, we moved there, and it’s a big club” he said.

Saints had just been relegated from the Premier League with a measly 12 points but Still felt “it was the right package at that point in my career” but when looking back on his time with the club “maybe I had reached a stage where I needed to think about something else, and that’s what I’m doing now.”

The former Reims coach was sacked in early November after just four wins from his 16 games in charge and with Saints sitting in 22nd position in the Championship.

In the interview, Still also noted contacts he had with Sunderland back in December 2023.

"I never actually went to Sunderland. My wife and I have a house in London, and I did speak with Sunderland's management, but never with the intention of saying, 'I'm going to leave Reims right away. It was more like, 'I don't want to die ignorant, if there's an opportunity... I didn't want to betray Stade de Reims.

"There was a great opportunity, can we talk, exchange ideas? Yeah, why not?' That's what I did, and I know it was very poorly received."