Sunderland are expected to recruit a manager this summer, with numerous names being connected.
Sunderland parted ways with Michael Beale last week after only 12 games as manager.
The 43-year-old won four of his 12 games at the helm and has subsequently been replaced by Mike Dodds who takes charge until the summer.
Several candidates have been mooted as potential permanent replacements for Beale, including Steve Cooper, although Reims manager Will Still has been associated with Sunderland the most.
Graeme Bailey believes the 31-year-old is Sunderland’s ‘perfect’ summer signing.
Will Still and Reims hailed after incredible team goal
Reims is currently in eighth place in the Ligue 1 ranking, in Still’s first full season in command.
And his team won convincingly away at Le Havre last time out, grabbing the lead before being down to ten men and losing shortly after, but still scoring a late winner.
Mohamed Daramy scored both goals from the bench that day.
And his first goal came at the end of an incredible team build-up for Reims, with journalist Zach Lowry re-sharing the video on X and describing Still’s Reims as ‘one of the best-coached teams in France’.
Will Still’s Reims is one of the best-coached teams in France. pic.twitter.com/g79ihIWScG
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) February 27, 2024
Reims’ build-up play is just what Sunderland need
He continues to receive accolades for his teaching and tactical abilities.
For such a young coach, he’s proven to be incredibly imaginative and current in his approach, as evidenced by the clip above, which sums up what he can do with a team.
And that style of build-up play, as well as thrilling and adventurous football, will be especially appealing to Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman, who will be eager to entertain Sunderland supporters next season following the dismal football on display under Beale.
Still, it would undoubtedly bring about a mental shift, and he is getting a lot out of younger players like Daramy, who is only 22 years old but has already scored and assisted five goals in Ligue 1.
Still, the team will be completely focused on the match against Reims, as the club competes for a berth in European competition next season.
That might be a major deciding factor in whether or not he stays, however he is aware of the Sunderland ties and has previously discussed them, and if Reims miss out on European football, it may lead him to seek a new challenge.
Sunderland is a massive club, and with such a quality group of players, it has the potential to be a sleeping giant, provided they get the proper manager this summer.
Sunderland play trip to Norwich City this weekend.
