Still is currently the manager of Ligue 1 outfit Reims and despite his inexperience, the 31-year-old has done extremely well during his time with the French side.
This has allowed him to attract interest from elsewhere, with the Belgium-born coach being linked with a move to the Black Cats after Tony Mowbray was dismissed.
Instead, Michael Beale was appointed, a decision that didn’t work out for either party in the end, with the 43-year-old being dismissed earlier this week.
Beale’s reputation went downhill during his time at the Stadium of Light and the Wearside outfit currently sit in midtable, with their former manager’s reign not helping them in their quest to secure another top-six finish at the end of the campaign.
Mike Dodds has been appointed manager for the remainder of the campaign, but after that, it’s currently unclear who will take charge.
Still may feel he has a good chance of winning the job, with HITC reporting that the Reims boss is currently the Black Cats’ first-choice option to be Beale’s permanent successor.
Potential compensation barrier in Sunderland’s quest to appoint Will Still
Despite the report stating that he’s the first-choice option, reporter Bailey believes the club may not want to fork out £4m to appoint Still, although he’s unsure whether the 31-year-old’s compensation fee is that much.
The journalist told Sunderland AFC News: “They want the right man, but they know they can’t get him now, especially with Still.
“Still’s the one they want ideally, in an ideal world. I do think they can get him. They wouldn’t want to pay £4million, I’m not sure it’s that high.”
£4m is arguably an excessive fee for Sunderland to pay for a manager
It could be argued that £4m is a hefty amount.
And with the Black Cats needing to ensure they don’t breach financial rules, whilst also needing to strengthen their squad in the coming windows, they need to be careful not to spend too much on Still.
