Southampton legend shares thoughts on Will Still appointment

Although we had already seen his name swirling in the media ahead of last Sunday's game against Arsenal, it was a confidence boost to see his arrival confirmed.

While I'm delighted we have captured Still, one of the most highly rated young coaches in Europe, the timing of his appointment is what pleases me most.

Ever since Ivan Juric departed following confirmation of our relegation to the Championship, question marks have surrounded our managerial situation.

We saw Danny Rohl linked, and he appeared a front-runner, but Saints have instead pounced quickly to hire Still, mere days after he announced his exit from French club RC Lens.

Like Still, I was at last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. I accepted an invitation to sit with the brilliant fundraisers with whom I had just completed the latest Benali on Tour challenge.

Will Still in attendance at St Mary's alongside Johannes Spors. (Image: Stuart Martin) Still was naturally a big topic of conversation among our group, many of whom are passionate Saints fans, as we trekked across the Isle of Wight to raise funds for Saints Foundation.

We were all pleased to see the new boss at St Mary's last weekend, and I thought the performance against Arsenal, given the number of absences, was solid.

The Belgian-born English coach arrives after leading Lens to an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1 and has spoken about the personal reasons behind his decision to come to England.

I have worked with his partner, Emma Saunders, previously. She is a lovely person, and I'm happy to hear she is on the mend.

At just 32 years old, Still has taken an unfamiliar route into management, and joining Saints will undoubtedly be his biggest test to date.

He is now in his 13th season in professional football, and I hope his lack of playing experience does not work against him.

Big-name players are always respected when they walk into the building as coaches, even if their credentials in the dugout are dwarfed by their ability on the field.

When Alan Ball was appointed in 1994, he immediately won the trust of our dressing room - and that's not to say he was a bad coach.

He's an example of someone who successfully made the switch. We've heard it through this season, too, with Adam Lallana, who is actually five years older than Still.

Since switching to a coaching role, Lallana has received plenty of public praise from his former Saints teammates.

Football management has changed a lot since I played. I don't think a coach like Still would have existed in my day. It's brilliant that coaching is no longer restricted to former players.

Saints and Still have wasted no time in securing this first signing of the summer, adding young German defender Joshua Quarshie to the ranks.

Joshua Quarshie, 20, has signed a four-year deal with Saints. (Image: Southampton FC/Matt Watson) I must admit, like most supporters, I had not heard of Quarshie before news of his transfer broke earlier this week. 

But what I have read and heard in the subsequent days leaves me hopeful that we have secured a promising young defender who can make his mark on the first team.

He stands six-foot-five-inches tall, was the second fastest player in German football this season and possesses a solid long throw. Those are good signs.

I'm glad we are trying to future-proof our squad. This signing reminds me of when Ronnie Edwards and Nathan Wood joined last summer.

Both arrived for small fees and have developed in their first year at the club, Edwards especially since joining QPR on loan in January.

While the signs are good, I'm still cautious of a development-focused recruitment approach given our recent track record of signings.

For every Mateus Fernandes and Romeo Lavia, we have signed a Kamaldeen Sulemana or Paul Onuachu. 

Not every transfer will work, but we seem to have had more failures than success stories in recent years, which is probably why we are back in the Championship.

With a new recruitment team in place, led by Johannes Spors, we can't hold those previous bad signings against those currently building the squad.

However, this feels like the perfect time to move players on. We currently have players blocking the pathway to the first team.

Joachim Kayi Sanda featured in the last two games of the season. (Image: Southampton FC/Matt Watson)

After a brilliant year in the academy, our youth staff will be mapping out how they can bring them into the senior team in the coming season.

Jay Robinson looks likely to play a role under Still next year, and Joachim Kayi Sanda has shown some promise - under-21s football won't suffice for them anymore.