adminWill Still named favourite for Oxford United manager job
Will Still has been named as the favourite for the vacant Oxford United manager position.
After parting ways with Gary Rowett two days before Christmas, the Yellows have one win in their three games under caretaker boss Craig Short.
Getting off to a good start by beating Southampton on Boxing Day, Oxford then lost at home to Swansea before being beaten on the road by promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town.
As the search for a new permanent manager goes on, multiple names have been thrown into the hat, but a new favourite has now emerged.
Will Still has now been named as the bookies’ clear favourite this week for the vacant position.
BetVictor has given 8/11 odds for him to become the next permanent manager of Oxford United.
The 33-year-old was most recently in charge of fellow EFL Championship side Southampton.
He took on this role back in May 2025, after the Saints were confirmed to be relegated from the Premier League following a poor season.
Signing a three-year contract with the club, things got off to a good start for Still with a victory in his first competitive game.
Two late goals completed a dramatic 2-1 comeback win versus newly-promoted Wrexham in August.
However, after a disappointing run of form culminating in a 2–0 home defeat against Preston North End, Still was sacked.
The 33-year-old, who was born to English parents in Belgium, managed several clubs across the continent prior to his most recent stint in England.
Starting out in the country of his birth, he had roles at both Lierse and Beerschot between 2017 and 2018.
This was before he moved over to France for a successful period with Reims between 2022 and 2024.
After an undefeated run of five games as caretaker manager, he was given the role on a permanent basis.
This meant that he became the youngest manager in Europe’s top five leagues at the age of 30 years old.
Still made headlines around the world at the time as Reims were being fined €25,000 for every match that he managed.
His tenure started with an impressive 14-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, which ended with a Coupe de France defeat.
But the streak continued in the league with a victory over Monaco, extending the run to 17 matches, which was a new record in Ligue 1.
He became just the second manager in the 21st century to do this in a top-five European league, after Barcelona’s Tito Vilanova with 18 matches.
After leaving Reims by mutual consent in 2024, Still moved onto Lens for the following season before departing France for Southampton.
Oxford currently sit in the relegation zone, two points off 22nd-placed Norwich City, ahead of an FA Cup trip to MK Dons on Friday (January 9).
Their league fixture against Sheffield United was postponed on Sunday afternoon due to a frozen pitch in South Yorkshire, with a rescheduled date yet to be announced.
It is understood that the club is making an announcement on Thursday morning regarding the manager position.
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