Claude Puel has revealed that after the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa became impossible to complete for Southampton, he “pushed” through the move for Sofiane Boufal, the Daily Mirror have reported.
Ben Arfa became a free agent after his contract with Nice expired in the summer, much like Puel’s, and Saints were reported to have shown an interest in the experienced Frenchman.
Of course I would have liked him here. I signed late (June 30) and Hatem (Ben Arfa) was in talks with Paris (Saint Germain) and foreign clubs with astronomic proposals. Here, the salaries are not high.
However, Puel stated that it was the wages that would have been the stumbling block in any potential move for the former Newcastle and now-PSG attacker.
Although it may have been a disappointment to miss out on Ben Arfa initially, Puel will be more than happy with the signature of Morocco star Sofiane Boufal, who has already netted one goal in his three appearances for Saints so far.
They knew all about Boufal here – he was on the lists. We shared the same opinion on him and I pushed a bit. We lacked a dribbler to unlock certain situations. Like Hatem last season (at Nice).
Boufal is still a way away from full fitness as he continues his recovery from a meniscus tear but he’s certainly showing signs of quality in the early stages of his Saints career.
