Reims captain shuts down Will Still speculation amid Sunderland interest

Speaking of Will Still joining Sunderland in the summer, Reims captain Yunis Abdelhamid has put an end to rumors.

Before Christmas, Sunderland expressed great interest in recruiting Will Still to succeed Tony Mowbray. However, his compensation fee ultimately caused them to postpone the appointment, and they ultimately brought in Michael Beale in his place.

But it only took 12 games for the 43-year-old to be cut, and now there are rumors that the Black Cats may make another run at Still at the end of the current campaign.

Since then, Still, whose Reims team is presently tenth in Ligue 1, has hinted

that he would be amenable to a move to the Stadium of Light, which has delighted supporters.

Earlier this week, the 31-year-old stated to The Athletic, “I would work for a Championship team without a problem.”

Although it appears that Sunderland will sign Still this summer, the team’s current captain has refuted rumors that he wishes to move away from Reims.

Yunis Abdelhamid stated to L’Equipe, “Absolutely not.” Will Still isn’t up for it in our opinion. Newspaper articles have the potential to be misinterpreted. Thus, among the participants, we don’t discuss that.

“We are focused and I can assure you that he is also fully involved with us.”

Can Sunderland still lure Will Still to Wearside?

Will Still reportedly has a £4.3 million release clause in his contract and Sunderland’s renewed interest suggests they are ready to cough up the cash to meet that.

The Belgian manager has made it clear that he wants to return to England, so a

move to Wearside definitely seems plausible, while his Reims team will

obviously be hopeful that he chooses to stay.

Sunderland‘s only real problem is likely to be their competition for his appointment.

Still has been one of the most talked-about coaches for a few years now, and in the summer, there will probably be a lot more interest in him. Teams that are currently in the play-off spots or even those in the lower part of the Premier League table may be able to entice him more.

If they don’t land, it won’t truly be the end of the world. However, Steve Cooper appears to be a very solid alternative as well. However, followers of Neil Warnock, Alex Neil, or someone like are presumably bracing themselves for the worst.