Will Still looking towards a circular frame inset of Nuno Espirito Santo
Credit: Imago
Daniel Lewis
Mon 30 March 2026 15:10, UK
Will Still is hopeful West Ham United have enough to stay in the Premier League, but has ruled out ever managing the Hammers.
The 33-year-old is currently out of work after being sacked by Championship side Southampton earlier this season.
That was Still’s first job in England, the country of his parents, having become a prominent name during his time managing Reims and then Lens.
Still has managed five clubs in total, with Lierse and Beerschot also on his CV.
The Belgian-English coach has long been touted as a possible West Ham manager in waiting, but that may never happen.
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Will Still won’t let head rule over heart on West Ham job
Still was considered a strong candidate to take over at West Ham in 2024 following his departure from Reims.
He instead took on the Lens job, before fresh links with a move to the London Stadium when he departed that position, only to surprise many by managing Southampton.
Club From To Games (G) Wins (W) Draws (D) Losses (L) Win %
Lierse 6 October 2017 2 December 2017 9 7 1 1 77.78%
Beerschot 19 January 2021 30 June 2021 13 5 2 6 38.46%
Reims 13 October 2022 2 May 2024 64 25 18 21 39.06%
Lens 10 June 2024 18 May 2025 37 16 8 13 43.24%
Southampton 25 May 2025 2 November 2025 16 4 6 6 25.00%
That was a call that backfired given how little Still spent in the job with the South Coast club.
And it seems Still has no intention of ever managing West Ham should those links arise again, as they inevitably will.
That is due to the fact he is a massive West Ham fan, as has been well publicised in the past.
Speaking in a new interview with Capital Football, Still said of the West Ham job: “I don’t think I could do it because I’m too emotionally attached to the club.
“I want them to win and I want them to win as much as they can. I’ll focus on my career and what I can do anywhere else.”
Still was also asked what he makes of the Hammers’ survival chances, to which he replied: “I watched them against Brentford and they are playing a lot better, I think.
Will Still has a 41 per cent win rate in management
Credit: Imago and Breaking Media
“Nuno has got clear ideas and knows how to do it. I hope [they stay up] – that’s all I say about West Ham.”
Still comments contradict what he’s previously said about West Ham job
Speaking to talkSPORT three years ago, around the time Still’s name was starting to become well known in wider circles, he gave an entirely different answer when probed on the West Ham job.
Asked who he would one day love to manage, Still said: “If I say it, I’m scared other teams aren’t going to ring me up! West Ham. I’ve always been a big West Ham fan.”
Not so long ago, Still would have been at the top – or very near the top – of many West Ham fans’ wishlists to take charge.
A talented coach with top-flight experience and still very young, not least someone who ‘gets’ the Hammers, but that has now changed.
Still’s stock has fallen as a result of his terrible spell with Southampton, and he will now have to rebuild his reputation before he gets a job in the English top flight.
Should he do that, though, there is no reason why he will not be in the London Stadium dugout as West Ham boss one day, regardless of these latest comments.