Claude Puel being edged out of Southampton at the end of last season surprised many, with the Frenchman certainly not being a disaster in his first campaign with the club.
It was evident that Puel’s reputation hadn’t taken too much damage when he was given the opportunity to manage Leicester City, a job he’s settling into quite well.
There’s been all kinds of rumours about the real reason behind Puel’s Southampton exit, with player power credited more than once, and now the manager has spoken to L’Equipe about the events.
Although Puel was never likely to sound off and launch into a rant, the now Leicester manager explained: “In England, there are owners who come from all walks of life and some are impatient. Southampton was going through a particular period, the club was being sold to Chinese. It was unstable, it may explain some things.”
Puel believes that Southampton often didn’t get the results their play deserved, and believes the club were unlucky against Manchester United at Wembley. If he’d have remained at Southampton, Puel believes one or two players added during the summer could have helped him implement his plan.
L’Equipe asked Puel what he made of Matt Le Tissier calling his tactics boring, to which the Leicester manager replied: “Le Tissier is a former Southampton player who still works for Southampton, so, well… That said, I would have liked a player like him in my squad last season.”
Under Puel, Southampton finished the season in 8th place. Under new manager Mauricio Pellegrino, they’re currently 13th, on joint points with Leicester.
