Sage is currently being heavily linked with the managerial vacancy at RC Lens, who were left stunned by Will Still’s decision to leave the club at the end of the season. He is also in the running to take over from Antoine Kombouaré at FC Nantes. The incumbent’s departure has not yet been confirmed but it is considered only a matter of time.
QPR travel to meet Sage
As per L’Équipe, there has been interest from elsewhere in France in recent weeks and months, including from Stade Rennais, Montpellier HSC, Stade de Reims, and Toulouse FC. However, there has also been interest from England in the form of QPR, Leicester City, and Southampton. QPR even made the trip over to France to meet Sage. Southampton, meanwhile, are being heavily linked with Still.
How imminent Southampton decision affects Sheffield Wednesday as question marks remain
For many it has long been expected that the German would be on his way back to Southampton, where he previously worked as an assistant, once they were officially a Championship side once again, but that has all since been thrown into doubt.
The Star, like others, is led to believe that former Lens manager, Will Still, is now the favourite for the position at St. Mary’s, with advanced talks having taken place and the Saints now closing in on getting a deal done for the 32-year-old.
Plenty has been said in the press recently about Röhl ‘biding his time’ with his own future, and while he does still remain contracted at Hillsborough for two more years, there is a growing acceptance that he is eager to make a move this summer. How possible that is based on the terms and conditions of his contract remain to be seen.
Sheffield Wednesday’s managerial limbo
The German has been linked with moves elsewhere, but whether or not he’d prefer anything over a move home given reported interest from RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg is unknown.
The size of the compensation, and how it differs based on the division in England, has been widely reported should he move on, but there remain question marks about where things stand if he leaves these borders rather than joining a Premier League or Championship outfit. Clauses elsewhere could change the landscape of things once again.
With Still now the big favourite for the Southampton job, it seems that Röhl’s Wednesday limbo will rumble on for a while longer, and with transfers to make and preseason to plan, none of it is helping the Owls’ preparations for the 2025/26 campaign.
Wednesday could do with a line drawn under the situation one way or another as soon as possible, and if the Saints do go on to appoint Still then that at least ends one source of speculation. The sad reality, however, is that this is likely to rumble on into the summer.
