Will Still in attendance for West Ham United v Nottingham Forest amid David Moyes replacement talk
Will Still has fuelled speculation that he could succeed David Moyes as the next West Ham manager after attending the win over Nottingham Forest.
The West Ham supporter, who is working wonders at Reims in Ligue 1, posted a picture on his personal Instagram account [12 November] from the London Stadium stands.
Still witnessed United’s scrappy 3-2 win over Forest up close – a victory that goes a long way to easing the recent rumours regarding Moyes’ uncertain future.
Even accounting for the back-to-back wins last week, however, it still remains that Moyes is out of contract next summer and there are no suggestions he will stay on.
Still has emerged as a realistic contender to take over from Moyes – whether that be at the end of this season or beforehand – and hinted last week he would be open to doing so.
“In the short term, I want to sign a full season with Reims and finish as high as possible,” he told SudInfo [8 November]. “But I admit that the little child in me wants to go back to England.
“It’s my home, it’s my championship, the best in the world. I have always been a supporter of West Ham. I would think about it [coaching West Ham] twice but would I be able to?
“I would feel too guilty in the event of defeat. But the Premier League and Europe are clearly two major objectives.”
Those comments, combined with Still’s attendance at London Stadium, means the Belgian-English coach must surely now be considered a hot favourite to become West Ham’s next manager.
On the basis of what he has achieved so far at such a young age, that would not be a bad appointment at all.
Still has a cult hero type status in France thanks to his work with Reims, which started with a record 17-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1.
Assuming Moyes does stay on for the next six months – and that would seem fair on the basis of what he achieved last season – Still would then be in a good position to take over ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
It would be a romantic appointment on the face of it, and one that would also make perfect sense.
In other West Ham news, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has provided an update on the managerial situation at United.