Full name Claude Puel Spouse Corinne Puel Height 1.77 m | Role Football manager Place of birth Castres, France Name Claude Puel | |
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Date of birth (1961-09-02) 2 September 1961 (age 54) Team coached OGC Nice (Manager, since 2012) Children Gregoire Puel, Paulin Puel, Charlene Puel Similar People Gregoire Puel, Hatem Ben Arfa, Eric Bautheac, Paulin Puel, Didier Digard | ||
Playing position |
How to play on the counter-attack | Claude Puel explains | You Ask, We Answer
Claude Puel ([klod pɥɛl]; born 2 September 1961 in Castres, Occitania) is a French football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Premier League club Southampton. He spent his entire playing career with AS Monaco, before becoming manager of the club, leading them to the league title in his first full season in charge. He has also managed Lille, Lyon and Nice.
Contents
- How to play on the counter attack Claude Puel explains You Ask We Answer
- Reaction claude puel sacked as southampton manager the ugly inside
- Playing career
- Monaco
- Lille
- Olympique Lyonnais
- OGC Nice
- Southampton
- As a player
- As a manager
- Managerial statistics
- References

Reaction claude puel sacked as southampton manager the ugly inside
Playing career

Puel started his football career as a youth with Castres FC, where he was spotted by AS Monaco, joining their training centre in 1977. He played his first professional game in the 1979–80 season. He spent his entire career at Monaco, playing 601 official matches in total. During his time at Monaco, he won two championships and three French Cups.
Monaco

Before being appointed as the manager of Monaco, he was the physical trainer and manager of the Monaco's reserve team. He was appointed as the manager in January 1999. He won the French Championship in 2000, with players, such as Ludovic Giuly and Marcelo Gallardo. In July 2001, his contract was not renewed and he left Monaco after 24 years at the club as a player and a coach.
Lille

In July 2002, he was appointed manager of Lille, where he became one of the longest serving coaches in the French League (serving for six consecutive seasons). Puel courted controversy on 20 February 2007 in a UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United in Lille. After Ryan Giggs scored a quickly taken free-kick late in the game, Puel was thought to be encouraging his players to walk off the pitch in protest, although the game eventually continued after a short delay. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the incident in an interview with ITV after the match as 'disgraceful' and 'intimidation of the referee'". He's a young guy so he will learn to hold it down soon. Hopefully he doesn't learn the hard way."
Olympique Lyonnais

Puel joined French club Olympique Lyonnais on 18 June 2008. He signed a four-year contract with the seven time French champions. He also became Lyon's 4th different manager in the last 4 years. In 2010, he helped the club reach the semi-final of the Champions League for the first time in its history. Lyon terminated his contract on 20 June 2011, although he had one year remaining on his contract with the club.
OGC Nice
On 23 May 2012, Puel reached agreement on a three-year deal with OGC Nice to take a coaching job.
Southampton
On 30 June 2016, Puel was appointed the manager of Southampton on a three-year deal. On 14 June 2017, Puel's contract was "terminated with immediate effect". His sacking yielded mixed reactions. In his only season in charge, Southampton reached the League Cup final and recorded an 8th place finish in the Premier League, albeit with 17 fewer points than his predecessor Ronald Koeman attained the season prior. Puel was particularly criticised for his defensive tactics, with Southampton's scoring record one of the poorest in the league. Sports journalist Paul Doyle called Puel "a victim of Southampton’s admirably unreasonable expectations".