‘I was torn’ – Will Still reveals how Sky Sports host girlfriend’s illness saw him swap Champions League for Southampton

WILL STILL has been an Englishman living abroad almost his entire life but decided this summer home is where the heart is.

The new Southampton boss today opens up about how he could not bear being away any longer from his partner, Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders.

Shutterstock EditorialWill Still has hopped across the Channel from Lens to take charge of Southampton[/caption]

Instagram / @wrstillStill said he had moved for ‘professional and personal’ reasons following fiancee Emma Saunders’ struggles with illness[/caption]

GettyThe Sky Sports host was left in a coma by a brain infection after recovering from cancer[/caption]

Instagram / @emmasaundsEmma Saunders has now returned to work[/caption]

She has had a harrowing year — first fighting thyroid cancer before being sent into a coma with the viral brain infection encephalitis.

Still, 32, did a lot of to-ing and fro-ing across the Channel while working at previous clubs Reims and Lens to be with his sweetheart.

The Belgian-born boss, son of English parents, has steadily built a reputation as one of Europe’s sharpest young football minds since coaching aged 17 — but always dreamed of managing on these shores.

And after guiding Lens to eighth in Ligue 1 last season during his partner’s health battles he wanted to “come home” and the Southampton job presented itself.

He said: “I moved here for both personal and professional reasons. Every normal person wants to either play or coach in the Premier League because it’s the highest competition.

“I’d been in French football for four seasons and met Emma two-and-a-half years ago.

“Then when she got seriously ill last year, I felt as much as I love football there are sometimes more important things in life.

“I was going to games, travelling back and forth, thinking, ‘I shouldn’t be standing on this training pitch. I don’t even know why I’m here.’

“I needed to be closer to home and ultimately Emma is home.

“And, in terms of football, I only wanted to take a job here that was right for me — with the right people, environment, players and project. Southampton was the one and it’s all geared to returning to the Premier League.”

Still first got talking to Saunders on social media and they met at various events before dating and a romance blossomed.

And he became a regular user of the Eurostar so he could share stolen moments with his girlfriend in St Albans — while his brothers Ed and Nico, also coaches, took care of business for him in France.

But Still told SunSport he felt “emotionally drained” during her health battles.

He said: “I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t tough but was lucky my brothers Ed and Nico were also working at Lens.

Instagram / @emmasaundsSaunders and Still went public at Euro 2024[/caption]

Instagram / @wrstillThe couple attended England vs Denmark together[/caption]

Instagram / @emmasaundsPresenter Emma Saunders used to head up Watford’s in-house football coverage[/caption]

Instagram / @emmasaundsStill revealed he ‘grew as a person’ during Saunders’ illness[/caption]

“They knew exactly what was going on. Ed had been a head coach so could just do it.

“And when Emma got the cancer news in September, he was like, ‘Will, just go away, you shouldn’t be here.’

“But I kept coming to the UK two days a week. If there was a day off on a Monday I’d stay Tuesday and come back Wednesday to prepare for the game. But I won’t miss the Eurostar — as good as that service is!”

Still had initially opted not to go public about his partner’s health problems — but soon realised it was taking too much of a toll.

He said: “It was too difficult not saying anything. At the start I was like ‘I don’t want to say anything. I’ll tell it to the players, but I don’t want people talking about it.’

“But that’s not the right thing to do. As soon as you open up, people go, ‘I’ll give you a bit of time and space to be just a human being.’ And you then realise there are much more important things than football.

“Football’s great, pays the bills and it’s what I love doing. But those first weeks, when Emma was diagnosed with cancer and then the brain infection in March, made it not that important.

“It was draining because I also needed to be at Lens as that was my job and people were paying me a lot of money to do it.

“So I was torn between ‘I know, I’ve got to do this but I know you’re there.’

“I tried my best and honestly finishing eighth last season having sold all the players that we did sell was one of my proudest achievements — and doing it with my brothers was pretty special.

“But as draining as that period was, I grew as a person too, which was the most interesting.”

Thankfully Saunders has been on the mend after getting excellent health care and with Still by her side is much happier.

The TV presenter returned to work last Saturday and it is hoped she will once again start becoming a regular face on our screens this coming season.

Still said: “She’s getting a lot better. There’s still the odd thing here and there that isn’t quite right. 

“But she has gone back into work for the first time in a very long while so that’s good.

“And just the fact I can go home to her after my training and games means she feels better about everything — and now has more control. She’s getting there.”

Still was inspired to go into coaching after whiling away the hours playing the video games Championship Manager and Football Manager as a kid.

But he downplayed the significance of the games, teaching him anything about tactics, formations or working in a pressure-cooker environment as a real Championship manager.

He said: “It didn’t form my perspective or make me understand tactics better.

“You know what that game is like, you can play any system in the world, tweak it slightly and win the Champions League with Rochdale!”

So far Southampton have signed striker Damion Downs from Cologne and centre-half Joshua Quarshie from Hoffenheim.

Still takes over a club that could only rack up 12 points in the Premier League last season as they crashed straight back down into the second rung.

But he wants to bring back the good times and has been inspired by watching Saints videos from Mauricio Pochettino’s time in charge between January 2013 and May 2014,


He said: “I spoke to him last week because he is managing Damian Downs with the national team, He wished me luck.

“He had a seriously good team here — one that got Saints fans excited with the style of football and brand of player. There’s potential to do that again over the next two or three years.

“With the transfer window open we can adjust that and go for certain profiles. I don’t want massive egos or lazy footballers.

“So it’s like, what has worked, what can work, what should work, and how we can mould that into something moving forward.

“Realistically we want to return to the Premier League this year — but I’ve been told if not it probably has to be next year.”

Instagram / @emmasaundsSaunders has worked with Gary Neville on Sky[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]