Claude Puel named the new Leicester City manager

Leicester City football club have appointed Claude Puel the Foxes’ new permanent manager. The 56 year-old Puel was sacked by Southampton after the 2016/17 season when he led the Saints to an 8th place finish. He will immediately take over for caretaker Michael Appleton, who won both of his matches in charge, defeating Swansea in the league and Leeds United in the Carabao Cup.

Prior to his stint at Southampton, Puel established himself as a manager in Ligue 1 in his native France. From 1999-2016, he managed Monaco, Lille, Lyon, and Nice. Over that time, he won the league once and won the Trophée des Champions the following season. Overall, his record is 325 wins, 204 draws, and 234 losses in 763 matches. This works out to a 44.60 winning percentage and a very respectable 1.55 points per match.

Southampton fans have had mostly good things to say about City’s new gaffer.

There are, however, some dissenting voices:

Ouch. Coldplay? That’s really harsh, Chris.

Puel had the reputation for playing careful, and yes, sometimes boring football with the Saints. He favors a 4-4-2 system, but unlike his Leicester predecessors, his preferred shape features a midfield diamond. While the system never truly clicked at the St. Mary’s, he had no small amount of success with it during his time in France.

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Puel spent his entire playing career with AS Monaco playing 601 matches and winning Ligue 1 twice. He was a key performer for then-Monaco manager Arsene Wenger’s league-winning side.

What do you think? Is Puel a good fit for Leicester City? With him at the helm, where do you think we’ll finish this year?