Making it clear he wasn’t a fan of Adrien Silva, Claude Puel, right at the end of the January transfer window, gave the green light for a loan swap involving the Portuguese midfielder and Youri Tielemans.
Securing the talented Belgian until the end of the season, the French manager perhaps felt this could be a turning point at Leicester City, but it wasn’t to be, as he was sacked less than a month later after a 4-1 loss to Crystal Palace.
Despite that, Puel managed to get some ideas across and get the best out of Tielemans, which he explained to DH on Thursday.
He said: “When players arrive at a club where I’m at, normally, it’s because I want them. I’ve known Youri for a while. I was already following him at Anderlecht where he was playing well. I appreciated what he could bring offensively, his ability to score and his profile in transition.
“When I got him, I immediately wanted to put him in the best circumstances, meaning in a midfield three where he didn’t have to do certain defensive duties. I put a base (Ndidi) in the team to add stability to the team and asked Maddison to work a bit harder and play in a piston with Youri.”
This plan has been broadly kept by new Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers, playing the same midfield three in the 2-1 win against Burnley at the weekend, and now the big question is what will happen to Tielemans at the end of the season.
For Puel, the young Belgian has a future in the Premier League, but only if he is used correctly.
He explained: “Youri is a great professional, very mature for his young age. He’s also very intelligent, with a technique that allows him to play under pressure, so he has interesting qualities, regardless of the league he plays in.”
Will Leicester City break the bank for him? We’ll have to wait and see.
