Football London

If you are a football fan and user of the social media platform X, chances are you will know that Will Still once managed French side SC Reims to a 19-game unbeaten run in the 2022/23 campaign.

You may also be aware of the fact that the 32-year-old is now one of the brightest young coaches in European football since moving across Ligue 1 to take up the job with RC Lens.

His good work across the English Channel has seen him linked with jobs in this country, particularly Southampton, as they head back down to the Championship managerless after sacking Ivan Juric upon their mathematical relegation.

So, there should be some excitement brewing as Sky Sports have confirmed Still as a guest pundit for Monday Night Football coverage of Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.

Here, football.london takes a look at the man behind the manager.

Still's career so far

Still was born to English parents but raised in Belgium. The area where he grew up had local and Dutch influence, as he played football until reaching the age of 17, when playing the popular Football Manager game series helped his decision to switch to coaching.

Years dedicated to study and work experience lead to backroom video analyst and academy positions in England and Belgium, then the assistant manager role at Stade de Reims', until being given the opportunity to step up as caretaker manager two months into the 2022/23 campaign.

An undefeated run of five matches earned him the full job. That unbeaten streak extended to 19, as mentioned earlier, and the club finished the season 11th.

Because he did not hold his UEFA pro license at the time, Reims were fined €25k (£21.4k) for every match he managed.

Still won 25 of his 64 matches in total before departing at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and, two months later, was offered a job at RC Lens. They sit eighth in Ligue 1 with six matches to go.

Net worth

Still's net worth is unknown, as is his salary with Lens after taking up their job offer last summer.

The only information available towards his earnings as a top-level coach was what he took home previously from Reims. The Daily Mail say he earned €18,500 (£16,075) in the Grand Est region, which is actually barely above the French coaches' union permitted minimum salary of €17,920 (£15,571).

Famous girlfriend

The Englishman went public in a relationship last summer with Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders, who is often seen presenting Premier League coverage live around the grounds each weekend.

The couple posted to Instagram together at England's Euro 2024 group stage fixture with Denmark in Germany's Deutsche Bank Stadium.

Unfortunately, Still and Saunders have faced a tough time lately, as during this season she has been affected by thyroid cancer and then encephalitis, an uncommon but life-threatening brain condition if not dealt with urgently.

After Lens beat Marseille last month, he told L'Equipe: "It's tough.

"We realise that there are more important things in life than a football match or a shot that goes into the top corner. I was honest with the guys. My girlfriend was in a coma. We had to be with her, we had to take care of her.

"The group reacted admirably well. My girlfriend is stable, she's fine. That's the most important thing. When I came back last Saturday, I knew she was in the best possible place to get treatment.

"I asked her the question openly: 'Do I go, do I not go?' She said to me: 'You have to go.' I thank the staff and my brothers who were there to do the work when I wasn't there."

And Saunders shared an update to her 73.3k Instagram followers six weeks ago to explain that she is taking time away from presenting to recover but hopes to be back before the end of the season.

Premier League allegiance

Back in 2023, Still told talkSPORT he is a supporter of West Ham United.

"If I say it, I’m scared other teams aren’t going to ring me up," he began, before finally admitting: "West Ham, I’ve always been a big West Ham fan."

Perhaps he was hoping to be given the job that Julen Lopetegui got last summer. The Spaniard has since already been replaced by Graham Potter.

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Premier League action as former head coach Nuno Espirito Santo brings his Nottingham Forest team to N17 on Monday night.

Spurs will be looking to build on the momentum of Thursday night's win in Frankfurt which put them into the Europa League semi-finals, where they will face Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt over two legs in May. As well as their European exploits, Tottenham have six tricky Premier League fixtures remaining and while they are safe from the spectre of relegation after a difficult season, they need to clamber back up the table to restore some pride and prepare themselves for the crunch European ties.

Ange Postecoglou made it clear ahead of the game that he was going to make "five or six changes" against Forest after Spurs' exploits in Germany, and the Australian has certainly changed things up with five changes.

Djed Spence, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr and Wilson Odobert all start the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Destiny Udogie gets a rest from this matchday squad.

Here is the Tottenham team Postecoglou will selected for the match:

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action on Monday night as they host Nottingham Forest in the Monday Night Football.

Spurs go into the fixture on the back of a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League in midweek, which saw the club reach the semi-final of the competition.

Ange Postecoglou and Co. will now be determined to continue their winning form with another victory, this time in the Premier League against Champions League-chasing Nottingham Forest.

Tottenham are currently in 16th place in the Premier League table, but defeats from Manchester United and Everton over the weekend give Spurs the chance to climb the standings on Easter Monday.

Here, football.london takes a look at the TV info needed to be able to follow the Premier League clash between Tottenham and Nottingham Forest.

What time does Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest kick off?

Tottenham's clash against Nottingham Forest is scheduled to kick off at 8pm on Monday, April 21, from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League.

Is Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest on TV?

Yes, Sky Sports has chosen Spurs vs Forest as part of its weekly Premier League coverage, with the match taking centre stage for Monday Night Football.

The coverage will get underway on Sky Sports Premier League (Sky channel 402) at 6.30pm, with around 90 minutes of analysis and pre-match build-up before kick-off. The match will also be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event (Sky channel 401) with coverage on that channel getting underway at 7.30pm.

How to live stream Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest

Thanks to Sky Sports covering the game, fans will also have the option of live streaming Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest in the Monday Night Football.

Sky customers will be able to stream the action online as well as on the Sky Go mobile app.

Alternatively, NOWTV will also be live streaming the match online, mobile and via their TV app. This service will be available to paying customers only.

James Maddison has sent Jude Bellingham a message following Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. Federico Valverde fired Carlo Ancelotti's side to victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday evening, finding the top left-hand corner with a brilliant strike in stoppage time.

Los Blancos returned to winning ways after crashing out of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Arsenal knocked Real Madrid out of the competition on Wednesday evening, winning 5-1 on aggregate.

With six games remaining, the Spanish giants trail Barcelona by just four points in the title race. The two rivals will meet in the Copa del Rey final later this month before locking horns in La Liga at the Camp Nou on May 11.

Nevertheless, Bellingham marked the weekend's victory with a celebratory post on Instagram. Captioning a carousel of action shots from the match, the 21-year-old midfielder wrote: "So important! Wow Guacho! @fedevalverde."

Speaking to Stephen Hendry on the snooker world champion's Cue Tips series in February 2024, the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was asked if there's much competition for his position in the England set-up.

Maddison laughed: "No, not much. Just Bellingham! He's ridiculous. So good. He's a great lad as well, Jude. I absolutely love him. For such a young kid, his mentality is like that of a 30-year-old.

"He loves footy, you know when you just know someone loves football. That's why me and him get on so well. He's just obsessed with the game and I love that about him."

A few weeks later, Maddison changed his tune after coming off the bench to set up Bellingham, who scored a 95th-minute equaliser against Belgium. The Tottenham midfielder said: "There is big competition, a lot of quality in the squad.

"You have to make sure when you are called upon, you do the business. I don't lack the confidence and belief in myself to do that. I just want that opportunity, I want that time on the pitch, because I know what I'm capable of.

"I know my quality can help this team, most definitely. I show what I have in training every day. The manager sees it. You've also got to show it, and you've also got to have the opportunity to show it. I didn't feature in the first game, which was disappointing.

"Watching on the side (against Belgium), I could see there was quite a lot of space between the lines, where I like to play, so I was thinking, 'Come on, Gareth…there's a lot of space!'"

Despite Maddison's confidence in claiming a place in the Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for Euro 2024, he was left at home. Unlike Bellingham, the Tottenham midfielder failed to convince the former Three Lions boss during the 33-man training camp at St. George's Park prior to the tournament.

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has expressed his surprise at Tottenham's struggles in the Premier League this season. Having managed Spurs for a brief period in 2021, Nuno is well aware of the club's capabilities, making their current 16th position all the more astonishing.

This season has been full of unexpected twists, with Forest mounting a serious challenge for Champions League qualification, which looks set to go down to the wire. Tottenham's poor form has been particularly surprising, with manager Ange Postecoglou's position being somewhat salvaged by their Europa League prospects.

“I think this season there are things that were not expected, and the Spurs situation is clearly one of them," the former Spurs boss said.

“All the teams have problems, some more than others. I’m not deeply informed on the Spurs situation, but we are talking about a big club full of talented players.

“They have a good manager that in previous seasons did fantastically well. It happens, and it’s happened to many teams.”

Despite back-to-back defeats raising concerns about Forest's top-five finish, Nuno remains proud of the season's accomplishments, including an upcoming FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. "It is what everyone should feel," he said.

"They should feel proud and committed to the final sprint of the competition. I think so. That's why we as a group and as a club are proud to be in this fight.

"In one week's time we will be speaking about another huge moment for us, so we embrace it. We are delighted. The criticisms will come, the opinions will come, the doubts will come, and we are here for that."

Bodo/Glimt will come up against English opposition for the second time in the Europa League this season when they travel to Tottenham in May. The Norwegian side have shocked quite a few in the 2024/25 edition of the competition after managing to progress to a semi-final showdown against Spurs.

Bodo/Glimt are now two games away from an unlikely place in the final after knocking out Lazio on penalties in the quarter-finals. Tottenham are the favourites to progress in the semi-final tie but it certainly will not be straightforward if Bodo/Glimt's results in the Europa League are anything to go by.

As part of the league phase, Kjetil Knutsen's side played Manchester United in one of their eight league games. They gave Ruben Amorim quite the challenge in his first game as Red Devils boss but the hosts eventually ran out 3-2 winners.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game, the Portuguese boss opened up on the threat Bodo/Glimt would pose his team.

"I'm expecting a very good team," he said, as reported by Manchester United's official website. "They can win the league this week I think, they run a lot and that's a very good thing for us at the moment. We need to improve that, so we know that in this game we have to run a lot.

"They have some special players in the wingers, they can play in the pockets very well and they have aura of winning games and this is also because they're winning all the time.

"I'm expecting a very intense game, a very good game and I hope to see different things. Improve some things we didn't do so well in the last game, so it will be a good game."

Amorim was certainly right about Bodo/Glimt's wingers as Philip Zinckernagel, formerly of Watford and Nottingham Forest, gave them a 2-1 lead on the night after they had initially trailed to Alejandro Garnacho's opener inside the first minute. United recovered from their losing position, though, and won courtesy of Rasmus Hojlund's double either side of the break.

In his time with TV broadcasters after the game, Amorim once again praised Bodo/Glimt and mentioned their threat on transitions.

“We knew that Bodo was a strong team. Very good on transitions," he said. "They have quality players, good connections, a very good team. But I think we had the first goal, like the last game and then we suffered two goals in transitions.

"We controlled the game, we controlled the tempo of the game. Just the last 10 minutes was tough for us. We had opportunities to kill the game and then in the end we suffer a little bit, but I think we deserved the win.”

Amorim was pressed even further on the Eliteserien side in his post-match press conference and he highlighted the speed and power they possess and also the fact they are a very impressive team.

"They are a very well worked team, so they know each other very well," outlined the 40-year-old. "You can understand that if you see that the goals were one touch, so they have the time that we don't have working together.

"They have a lot of speed and power. With the transitions you feel that in the game that they have a lot of power and it was a tough game in that aspect. But we controlled very well the tempo of the ball, We kept the ball so long that we controlled and was able to manage that. So they're a great team, I think they will win the league again. It was a tough match."

Tottenham are indeed in for a tough match and the challenge of Bodo/Glimt should not be underestimated. They have already taken some notable scalps and the next one on their list is that of Ange Postecoglou's side.

Preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action with the visit of former head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and his Nottingham Forest team on Monday night.

Spurs must turn their attentions back to the Premier League after Thursday night's big victory in Frankfurt sent them through to the Europa League semi-finals, where they will face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt across two legs next month. Tottenham have six difficult league fixtures remaining and they need to clamber back up the table after a difficult campaign.

Postecoglou made it clear in his pre-match press conference that he is going to make "five or six changes" for this game against Forest after Spurs' exploits in Germany, so the Australian will have to decide whether players like Djed Spence, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Wilson Odobert will start the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Spurs head coach will have to make changes without losing the team's rhythm which means keeping some of the spine of the team that won in Frankfurt.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Postecoglou will select:

Tottenham have eight fixtures remaining in the 2024/25 campaign. The hope will be that there is a further game for Ange Postecoglou's side as they contest for a place in the Europa League final.

Before Spurs return to European action with a semi-final double-header against Bodo/Glimt of Norway on the calendar, the north London club have Nottingham Forest and Liverpool to come in the Premier League. Not only are the upcoming fixtures key for Tottenham in terms of the Premier League and Europa League, they are also going to be pivotal in regards to upping the minutes of some players ahead of a defining month.

Postecoglou has had to deal with injury issues aplenty over the course of the term and a few of his squad have only just returned from time in the treatment room. So which players does Postecoglou need to give an increase in playing time to over the next few weeks? football.london takes a look below.

Kevin Danso

Kevin Danso made his return from a hamstring injury in Tottenham's 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday evening. The Austrian international may have only come on in the 85th minute but he more than played his part in helping Tottenham remain defensively strong late on to ensure they got the job done in Germany.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Saturday morning, Postecoglou stated that Danso had in fact come back slightly early as he "wasn't due back for another week or so". The boss also outlined that it's important his defender gets game time in the next couple of fixtures as he thinks he will be "important" for the team.

So, Danso could well come into the starting XI on Monday when Nottingham Forest visit N17.

Richarlison

Richarlison is someone else who will be pushing for a start against Nottingham Forest. The Brazilian has made two substitute appearances since his return and he has remained unused on the bench on two occasions.

His versatility does give Postecoglou options, with the 27-year-old a contender to either start as a striker or on the left-wing. He can still have a big say in what remains of the season but he needs to get up to match sharpness after so little football in recent months.

Mathys Tel

Whereas Danso and Richarlison need the minutes, Mathys Tel is match fit after featuring fairly regularly since his loan move from Bayern Munich. The Frenchman has started the past two games for Tottenham and he delivered a very good showing on the left-wing in the win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

With Tottenham facing a decision in the summer whether to buy the 19-year-old or not due to a £45.8million purchase option in their agreement with Bayern Munich, a few more starts for the exciting talent could possibly persuade the club to part with the aforementioned fee. There is still a lot more to come from Tel and Spurs may see even more from him if he continues to feature regularly between now and the end of May.

Wilson Odobert

Postecoglou has been managing Wilson Odobert's minutes recently, with the French winger not part of the squad for last weekend's defeat at Wolves. The 20-year-old returned to the matchday party for the game in Frankfurt but he remained an unused substitute across the 90 minutes.

Odobert has not featured in Tottenham's last three games, with his last outing for the side coming in the 3-1 win over Southampton a fortnight ago. He will hopefully feature prominently in Monday's game against Nottingham Forest.

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski appears in line to start Tottenham's home encounter against Nottingham Forest amid question marks over James Maddison's fitness. The attacking midfielder took a huge hit when winning Spurs a penalty away at Eintracht Frankfurt and it resulted in him making way minutes later.

Kulusevski got a good 45 minutes to his name in what was only his second appearance since returning from a foot injury. Now it's vital that the Swede continues to see an increase in match action as he is going to be absolutely vital when it comes to Tottenham trying to win the Europa League.

Micky van de Ven

It has been very stop-start for Micky van de Ven since making his comeback from injury. Postecoglou does tend to start the Dutchman and drop him back down to the bench the following match to ensure he is not pushed too much.

It is going to be interesting to see Postecoglou's approach over the coming days as he may continue alternating Van de Ven in games or potentially play him in successive games for the first time since March. Back-to-back starts would do the youngster the world of good but it will all come down to whether Postecoglou wants to take that chance going on Van de Ven's injury woes this term.

Preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou has made it clear that Richarlison is set to get game time for Tottenham in the next couple of Premier League fixtures and explained how important Dominic Solanke, Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson were to the win in Frankfurt.

Solanke proved to be the matchwinner in Germany with a calmly-taken penalty before half-time - his first goal since January 4 before his knee injury lay-off - and the England international put in a trademark all-action display to constantly hassle and harass the Frankfurt defence throughout.

Alongside him, Tel and Johnson played their part in pinning their hosts back while also showing plenty of discipline in helping Tottenham keep the clean sheet.

Postecoglou was full of praise for Solanke and the two wide men, while making it clear that Richarlison's turn is coming.

"I know Dom is a striker and when they don’t score people will focus on that but he’s such an important part of the way we play. Our back four/five were outstanding but our front three were so disciplined also in their defensive work on Thursday," said the Spurs boss.

"Dom and the two wingers had important jobs for us from a defensive point of view. You ask them to do such a massive physical load and then they still have to produce when the ball gets up to them in an attacking sense. And maybe in other teams… if you look at Frankfurt, they don’t ask that of [Hugo] Ekitike. When he gets the ball he feels fresh and he can run at people.

"Dom usually receives the ball when he’s done four or five sprints closing people down so you factor that into it, but we feel as a team that gives us a better chance of success. I was delighted for him. He took his penalty really well. Don’t underestimate the pressure he was under in that moment, taking a penalty away in Europe knowing how significant it is, right in front of the most vocal part of their fanbase.

"It shows the measure of the guy. He didn't miss a beat. Important goal for us, important player for us, and we missed him when he was out, and when he was out Richy was out and that was a big hole in our team. Richy is another one who is going to get some game time in the next couple of games because he's looking really good in training, but Dom’s been super important."

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli has sent fans on a trip down memory lane in his latest message sent to an old teammate who often went undervalued and under the radar.

Casting minds back almost 10 years ago, when Dele was breaking onto the scene one of his teammates was dominating in a whole different way.

A staple of Tottenham's midfield for almost seven years, Mousa Dembele is a player Spurs fans will never forget, but the rest of the world seems to struggle to remember.

The Belgian international was one of the most naturally gifted dribblers the game has seen and in a post recirculated on social media by Alli, has one particularly impressive stat.

During an especially remarkable five month spell in 2016, Dembele displayed so much prowess in the midfield that not a single player was able to tackle him.

With the ball seemingly glued to his feet the Belgian managed to dominate the centre of the pitch wiggling out of almost any situation.

His skill and talent was noticed by his teammates with many now recalling how Dembele was one of the most naturally gifted players they ever shared a pitch with, but despite his talent the international's skills seems to be all but forgotten.

That was until Dele Alli who formed an exciting partnership with Dembele during their time at Spurs couldn't resist chiming in.

Now playing his football at Como in Italy after some tricky spells at Besiktas and Everton, he took to X to set things straight, in a post replying to the stat, the former England international said: "Damn, my goat".

Dembele clocked up a staggering 249 games in the Lilywhite shirt and while goals and assists weren't always the defining aspect of his game, scoring just 10 and assisting 11, the midfielder's role at the heart of the time under Mauricio Pochettino's reign was undeniable.

His role winning back possession deeper in the field and driving the ball through the midfield helped to create the chances that made the likes of Alli, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen more obviously successful.