Former Southampton manager Claude Puel has opened up about his time at St Mary’s, and he believes he did not have the right kind of “image” needed to succeed at the club.
On paper, Puel’s time in charge of Saints was a relative success; guiding the club to an eighth placed finish and a League Cup final in his one season on the South Coast.
However, there appeared a lack of belief amongst the supporters that he was the right man for the job, with many disappointed by the fact that Saints only scored 17 goals in 19 games under Puel at St Mary’s.
And according to Sport Witness, via French outlet L’Equipe, , the former boss revealed he didn’t have the right “image” to win the club and the fans over, but he does not have any regrets about his time in charge.
I arrived there [at Southampton] thanks to my results in France, my show in the Champions League [with Lille and Lyon] and the development of players. I was taken for what I could bring in the development of a team’s game. But you have to bring something else, an image for the fans and the media. When I arrived in Southampton, it was difficult to find the words and to get the messages over, in the feeling and the sensations I had trouble. But, the last six months in Southampton, then in Leicester, there have not been any particular problems. I mastered the essential and I managed to get what I want.
Saints’ problems in front of goal have continued in the two seasons prior to Puel’s departure, however, as the club have battled against relegation from the Premier League.
