Will Still returns to Ligue 1: ‘There are no limits to our ambitions’ at Auxerre
Will Still is back in Ligue 1. Seven months after leaving Southampton and following successful spells with Stade de Reims and RC Lens, the 33-year-old Belgian-English coach has been appointed as AJ Auxerre’s new head coach on a two-year contract, with the option of a third.
His arrival signals the start of a new chapter for a club that secured survival in dramatic fashion last season before opting for change in the dugout. Christophe Pélissier departed despite guiding Auxerre to safety, paving the way for one of French football’s brightest young coaches to return.
For Still, the move represents more than just another managerial opportunity.
“I waited several months before accepting a new challenge because I didn’t want to make the wrong choice,” he explained after his appointment. “Auxerre arrived at the right time with the right people and the right project.”
After an ill-fated stint at Southampton, where he admitted the club “wasn’t necessarily the best fit” for him, Still believes he has rediscovered an environment that matches both his personality and ambitions.
The owner’s vision proved decisive in convincing him to take over at Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps, where he inherits a side looking to establish itself permanently in Ligue 1 after consecutive seasons in the top flight.
Still’s reputation in France was forged at Reims, where he famously guided the club through a remarkable 19-match unbeaten run after initially taking charge in 2022. He later spent a single campaign at Lens, steering Les Sang et Or to an eighth-place finish before pursuing an opportunity in England.
Now back in Burgundy, his ambitions extend well beyond survival. “I think there is enormous potential here,” Still said in an interview with ICI Bourgogne. “The size of the club, the passion around it and, above all, the project being built all point in the right direction.”
'No limits' to ambitions says still
While acknowledging the financial realities that clubs like Auxerre face, he refused to place limits on what can be achieved. “There are no limits to our ambitions, except perhaps financially at some point. If everyone works in the same direction and the supporters recognise themselves in the team on the pitch, Auxerre is capable of achieving very interesting things.”
The prospect of European qualification may seem ambitious for a club that was fighting relegation only weeks ago, but Still did not dismiss the idea.
“Is a place in Europe in the coming years possible? It’s conceivable, it’s achievable. Football depends on many factors, but if the daily work is good and everyone pulls together, anything can happen.”
His first test will come immediately. Auxerre begin the 2026-27 Ligue 1 campaign with a trip to Stade Bollaert to face Lens – the very club Still left just over a year ago.
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