Follow your instinct’ – Will Still on why he opted for Auxerre over Lorient or Bristol City

‘Follow your instinct’ – Will Still on why he opted for Auxerre over Lorient or Bristol City

Recently appointed as the new manager of AJ Auxerre, Will Still has finally returned to management, eight months after being sacked by Southampton. However, before his arrival in Burgundy, other clubs had tried to secure the Belgian’s services. But the loyalty of some of AJA’s former stars tipped the balance in his decision-making.

“Djibril Cissé and Jean-Alain Boumsong (two of his assistant managers) – I’ve had them both together. Then I called Guy Roux. You can sense their love for the club; that really touched me,” explained the 33-year-old manager in an interview with L’Équipe , in which he revealed he had been “at an advanced stage with other clubs, such as FC Lorient and Bristol City”.

Whilst he ultimately decided to join Auxerre, Still attributes this to his “instinct”, which he says guided his decision. It’s a nice snub to his critics, who argued that Auxerre was merely a “fallback option” for him.

And as if fate had intended it, his return match in Ligue 1 will see him face RC Lens, the side he managed before his spell in England, during the 2024-25 season.

GFFN | Léo Aschi

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