Claude Puel has been announced as Leicester City’s new manager, after a whirlwind 48 hours and claims from France and England the former Southampton boss was being lined up.
L’Equipe predictably have a feature on the appointment in their Thursday edition, and much of it concentrates on what happened with Puel at Southampton.
The French newspaper state: ‘The leaders of Leicester also know that Claude Puel is returning to English football with a thirst for revenge’
That perhaps goes without saying, but L’Equipe elaborate on what they feel happened at Southampton. A general feeling that Puel’s treatment was unfair, given he got Southampton to 8th and took them to a cup final, is one pushed by L’Equipe, and shared by many others.
Reasons for pushing Pule out of the job ‘have not always seemed very clear’. A lack of excitement in matches at home has been brandished as a reason, explain L’Equipe, but they clearly feel there was more to it.
‘Wishing to have his field of expertise expanded, Puel was soon confronted with the distrust of Ross Wilson, the recruiting director of Southampton. And the opposition between the two men had left traces. They found an extension in the dressing room, where some players had taken up the cause for Wilson.’
That situation will have left Puel ‘bitter’ according to the French claims, and Leicester City can benefit through extra motivation for their manager.
Leicester City travel to Southampton on December 13th.
