Reims manager Will Still has admitted he would love to manage West Ham as the pressure grows on David Moyes.
West Ham slipped into the relegation zone on Sunday following their 2-0 defeat by Tottenham. Moyes is facing questions over his leadership of the Hammers, who are 18th in the Premier League and have scored just 19 times in 23 games.
According to multiple reports, Moyes’ job is safe for now, largely due to the lack of viable alternatives. The Guardian says the Hammers’ hierarchy are not keen on Rafa Benitez, while Carlos Coberan recently signed a new contract with West Brom.
However, Still’s comments about his love for the club and desire to take charge in the future might cause pause for thought in east London. The 30-year-old had turned heads in Ligue 1, going unbeaten in his first 14 league matches, guiding Reims to 10th place since taking over from Oscar Garcia in October.
“I’ve never set any boundaries or set any goals or any limits to what I want to do and can do,” Still told the Coaches Voice. “In a boring way, I’ll take whatever my career chucks at me, but if I’m being a little kid, I’d probably say coaching West Ham one day [is my ambition].
“Being a West Ham fan, that would be unreal. It’s a shame it’s not at Upton Park any more, but the Olympic Stadium has something about it too.
“So coaching West Ham, winning the Champions League, winning a major trophy, that would be unbelievable. But there’s a bit of a way to go before I get there, so [I’ll] keep working.”
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Still was born in Belgium to English parents and began his coaching career in Belgium, working as an assistant at Lierse, Beerschot and Standard Liege before getting his first management position with Reims.
Reims are on a club-record 16-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1 following their 0-0 draw with Nice on the weekend. Still, who speaks fluent French, has galvanised the group, which contains Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun, who has scored 15 goals in 23 Ligue 1 games this season.
West Ham face a huge match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The game looks like a must-win for Moyes after his star player, Declan Rice, appeared to openly criticise his defensive approach to the Spurs game on Sunday.
He said: “When you play with five at the back and the three, like we set up today, maybe our strikers felt a bit isolated when we got the ball up to them – they didn’t really have enough around them, not enough support.”
West Ham remain desperate not to part ways with Moyes, who still has credit in the bank after leading the Hammers into the Europa League in successive campaigns. The 59-year-old will be given time to turn things around, with the Premier League game against Forest followed by a FA Cup fifth-round tie against Manchester United and league games against Brighton and Aston Villa.
