A few years ago, Will Still confessed to being a loyal West Ham fan. Plus, with West Ham coming on the back of a poor season, they can look to lure him as their new coach while disrupting Southampton's plans.
Ever since Southampton have known about Will Still's availability, the Englishman has become the dream coach in the eyes of a good majority of Saints fans. It might even be argued that onboarding him at the expense of Danny Rohl will both be budget friendly and much secure from the Premier League point of view.
Basically, Still brings that Ronald Koeman-ish profile with him of being proven in other leagues but awaiting a perfect young project like Southampton's to take over.
Up until now, that's a fairytale scenario for the Saints which could well be over in a blink considering Still's old comments.
Southampton face scary West Ham involvement that can tempt Will Still
As pointed out by Claret and Hugh, Will Still has a soft spot for West Ham as a fan, and he hasn't hidden this fact either. Now, these statements wouldn't have been an issue for Southampton in any other season where the Hammers were climbing upwards in the Premier League.
Simply, because West Ham have suffered their worst league finish in recent memory and can be open to a new coaching direction like Southampton. One, which could see them snatch another of the Saints' preferred targets after the Londoners swayed Graham Potter midway through the Premier League.
Just imagine the scenes if these fears indeed turn true. Since the previous two weeks, Southampton have cherished their West Ham trip for securing their historic 11th point, but now the same Hammers can spoil the Saints' mood.
Also, isn't it ironic that Southampton stare at the possibility of getting done twice by two dream managers for personal preferences. Danny Rohl, for his lack of interest in rejoining them and potentially Will Still for his long-held admiration of his favourite club, West Ham.
It's still early in the transfer window, so let's hope that the Will Still transfer saga doesn't escalate this way for Southampton.