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Still led Lens to an eighth-placed finish in Ligue 1 this season Southampton have confirmed the appointment of 32-year-old Will Still as their new manager. He succeeds Ivan Juric, who left the club in April after relegation from the Premier League was confirmed with seven games to go. Still revealed last weekend that he would leave his position at Ligue 1 side Lens so that he could return to the UK. "There is huge potential here and we have a great opportunity to do something special, " said Still, who has signed a three-year deal. "The project that has been laid out to me is very impressive and, all together, I believe we can build a clear identity and a very positive future for the team. "I'm eager to get to work this summer and start building a close-knit group that can make everyone proud and ultimately get us back to where we belong; in the Premier League. " Group technical director Johannes Spors added: "Will is a young, innovative manager who has already gained significant experience, and we have been extremely impressed both by his track record and our conversations with him. "What was very apparent in our discussions was the clarity of his philosophy and the identity he wants his teams to have, but also his willingness and ability to adapt to different situations as they present themselves, which will be an important quality in the Championship next season. "We were very impressed by his personality and his values, and we feel he will be an excellent fit for the culture we are looking to build at Staplewood. " Lens have released a statement thanking the Englishman for his "investment" during his time at the club, adding that he "embodied the values of RCL through his resilience and his passionate and authentic personality". The French side also confirmed that Still's brothers, Edward and Nicolas, would also be leaving the club, though it is not yet confirmed whether or not they will be joining him at Southampton. Still is expected to be at St Mary's on Sunday for the Saints' final Premier League game of the season against Arsenal. Born in Belgium to English parents, Still built his football career at Lierse and Beerschot before moving to France. His journey into coaching was partly inspired by his passion for the video game Football Manager, which encouraged him to switch his playing career for management when he was 17 years old. Still studied applied football coaching at Myerscough College in Lancashire, and landed his first role in professional football in 2014 when he became a video analyst at Belgian club Sint-Truidense. He became the youngest coach in Europe's top five leagues when appointed by Ligue 1 club Reims, aged 30, in October 2022. During his time at Reims, because he did not have a Uefa Pro Licence as Ligue 1 rules for its managers dictate, the club had to pay £22, 000 every time he took charge of a game. Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Premier League: Newcastle behind but in top five as it stands with Man City & Chelsea Grealish left out of Man City squad for final game Norris wins in Monaco to narrow gap to Piastri The biggest tunes and throwback sets from Radio 1's Big Weekend A con artist with multiple fake identities hides a dark past Simply the universe's favourite sitcom A powerful and emotional story starring Paul Mescal 'A new era dawns at Real Madrid' - the challenges facing Xabi Alonso Bordeaux mix beauty and beast to shatter brave Saints How Arsenal's comeback queens achieved the unthinkable Brook takes 'extraordinary' leaping catch. Video Brook takes 'extraordinary' leaping catch How Mc Tominay became a Napoli icon after Man Utd exit From winning i Pods to Grand Slams - Djokovic's 100 titles County reserve is England's 'special talent' - Bashir tweaks pay off The fan and the local player - a relationship hanging by a thread Do promoted teams struggle in other European leagues? Slot on the season: Title, Trent, transfers - and no excuses Get to know maybe the coolest, calmest F1 driver in history 'He's got it! ' - Haliburton hits wild shot in comeback win. Video'He's got it! ' - Haliburton hits wild shot in comeback win Why Swiatek's reign as 'Queen of Clay' is under threat 75 years of F1 in pictures Ask Me Anything, the BBC Sport service designed to serve you Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.