One month after signing his contract at RC Lens, Will Still arrived at La Gaillette to take the reins of the Racing Club de Lens. Brabançon met the press this Friday, June 28, two days after the return of the troops. The former Reims coach explained his modus operandi, his intentions and his ambitions for the 2024-2024 season which opens a new chapter in the history of the club. The one after Franck Haise.
Humor and humility: these are the two first impressions that Will Still gave for his first press conference in his new colors. The young coach (31 years old) from Braine-le-Château, in Walloon Brabant, was in charge just before the first training session of the RCL pros. Only 16 players were present for this resumption, due to the absence of the internationals retained on different fronts (Euro 2024, Copa America, Olympic Games, etc.). Burkinabe goalkeeper Georges Koffi was also in this group. A little lonely at his position since Samba and Pandor are in the selection. And if Jean-Louis Leca he was there, it was in his new role as recruiter.
For this first session with the Lens players, Will Still remained discreetly under observation, letting his assistants and technicians run the various workshops, between two jogging sessions. Good humor, but also seriousness, reigned over this first training session carried out on the Maracana plain, under a radiant sun, and a pleasant temperature, after the intense heat of the week.
From Greece to the Mining Basin
Will Still returned from vacation in Greece. He had also just validated his Professional Football Coaching Certificate (BEPF) before arriving at Avion on Wednesday. There, he found his two brothers Nicolas and Edward, who will be his deputies. But he fully intends to work with all the RCL staff remaining in place after the departure of Frank Haise for Nice.
» I will never compare myself to Frank Haise. He is a legend of RC Lens and French football. Hats off to him and the entire club for the recent history because it was quite incredible to go from Ligue 2 to the Champions League in such a short time. I love Franck, the coach as well as the person, but I am not going to replace them. I am coming to write a new chapter, which will be, I hope, very long.. »
Will Still was presented by the new general director of RC Lens, Pierre Dréossi. He explained that his recruitment had materialized very quickly. Which the Belgian confirmed with a first touch of humor. “ It goes back to the first week of June. As much as the French press and the whole world sent me to England, I always wanted to be patient, to make the right choices at the right time. I want to build a career of 25 or 30 years, not 3 or 4 years. In Reims, I had already told the goalkeeping coach that if there was a French club I wanted to go to, it was Lens. The opportunity presented itself and it was obvious.
In the lineage of Franck Haise
The new Lens coach remained evasive about his future tactical and technical choices. But clearly, he is not coming to shake everything up and intends to stay in the offensive line of Franck Haise. « Regarding the style of play that Franck advocated here, we are not far from what I did in Reims. I want to play, to attack, with enormous intensity. This is what we will try to put in place. There is a squad full of quality, I will rely on that. »
“I don’t put pressure on myself”
Will Still
While specifying: “ I’m not putting pressure on myself, I fully respect what Franck, his staff and the players have done, but I’m going to try to write the next chapter with my personality, which sometimes makes me say crazy things, which expresses itself in open and honest manner on the sidelines too.«
On this subject, Will Still confides that he also wants to change his communication. I’m just a normal guy. I’m 31 years old. And I need support from the club’s communications department. I’m going to make mistakes again. But there’s no question of changing completely…
A market to be defined
The new Lens coach plans to work with a group of 22 or 23 players, while waiting for the end of the transfer window. On this subject, Pierre Dréossi explained this. “We intend to find an economic balance different from that of recent seasons. However, on transfers, we are ambitious. It’s not just austerity… We already have contact with several players. But their arrival will also depend on departures. »
Et Will Still corroborates: « What I was promised was to be as competitive as possible in Ligue 1 and in Europe. We know there are sales to be made. But, we will remain faithful to the values of the club, be competitive and annoy as many teams as possible”confides Still in his very direct style, which should please Lensois supporters.
