Latest news with #JohannesSpors
BBC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Saints sign Quarshie - so what should fans expect from 'promising' talent?
Southampton have signed defender Joshua Quarshie from Hoffenheim for a fee understood to be £ 20-year-old has signed a four-year deal and becomes the Saints' first signing of the summer under new manager Will made his Bundesliga debut at 18 and gained the majority of his experience with Hoffenheim's second team, as well as on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf and Greuther Furth, making 28 appearances in the German second group technical director Johannes said the Germany Under-20 international is a "talented young player" and "natural fit" for Still's style, while Quarshie himself said the Saints felt like the "right club" for football expert Constantin Eckner told BBC Radio Solent: "Quarshie was one of the more promising talents in the Bundesliga 2. It was expected that he would move on somewhere and the link to Southampton probably comes through the new sporting directer Johannes Spors, who is German, and may have an eye on youth national team players."His height and athletic promises are there. He's still very young so he's still a work in progress, but he's technically pretty proficient."He's not just the type of player to play one steller pass after another, but he's pretty precise when it comes to build-up passes too."Now Southampton are playing in the Championship again, they will have a lot of matches where they will have a lot of possession, so they have to deal with how to set up their build-up plays, so he could also play a part there."Fans should expect someone who's still in development and who will still have to become a professional player at that level."With the schedule of the Championship you play so many games over a season. It's important to have a number of centre-backs with different skillsets. With Quarshie you have someone who is tall, athletic, two-footed and has a lot of upsides."Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds here
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Still appointed Southampton manager
Will Still has officially joined Southampton FC as manager, the relegated Premier League side has announced. The Anglo-Belgian head coach resigned from his position at Racing Club de Lens to return to England and get closer to his partner. Still has agreed on a three-year contract with the Saints, who host Arsenal for the final day of the Premier League campaign. Southampton will finish the season bottom of the league. Still's former club, Lens, have confirmed that Will's brothers – Edward and Nicolas Still – have also left the Artois side. Still led Les Sang et Or to an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1. 'Will is a young, innovative manager who has already gained significant experience throughout his career, and we have been extremely impressed both by his track record and our conversations with him', said Southampton Group Technical Director Johannes Spors. Advertisement Will Still said he was '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.' GFFN | Bastien Cheval
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Southampton appoint Still on three-year deal
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 weekened 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
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Southampton appoint Still on three-year deal
Southampton have confirmed the appointment of 32-year-old Will Still as their new succeeds Ivan Juric, who left the club in April after relegation from the Premier League was confirmed with seven games to revealed last weekened 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."Still is expected to be at St Mary's on Sunday for Southampton's final Premier League game of the season against Arsenal.
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Southampton appoint Will Still as new manager
Southampton have appointed Will Still as their new manager. The 32-year-old, who announced his intention to leave Ligue 1 Lens earlier this month, has agreed a three-year deal and is set to lead the club's 2025-26 campaign in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League. The Athletic reported on March 20 that Southampton were closing in on a deal to appoint Still after a process led by technical director Johannes Spors. Advertisement Still will be in the stands at St Mary's on Sunday for the club's final game of the season against Arsenal. 'I'm extremely proud and excited to have joined Southampton – there is huge potential here and we have a great opportunity to do something special,' he said in Sunday's announcement. Still's the one ❤️ — Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 25, 2025 '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 can't wait to meet you, the fans. I look forward to hearing you in voice, and feeling the energy and belief at St Mary's and beyond. '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.' The club have been without a permanent manager since April, when they sacked Ivan Juric after their relegation was confirmed. Juric had only been in the job since December, when he replaced Russell Martin, but won just one of his 16 matches at the helm in the top-flight. Simon Rusk has been in interim charge of the side since, assisted by Adam Lallana. Born in Belgium to English parents, Still's first managerial role came at Belgian second-tier side Liese in 2017, aged just 24. He joined Beerschot as an assistant in 2018 and helped the team achieve promotion to the Belgian top flight before taking the head coaching role in January 2021. Still's next senior position was with French side Reims, where he spent 18 months and led the team to back-to-back 11th-place finishes in Ligue 1. He signed a three-year deal with Lens in June 2024 but confirmed his departure from the club in May, citing a desire to be closer to his family in the UK. Still's partner, Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders, revealed in March that she was recovering from encephalitis, a brain infection. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images)
