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Leicester City Football Club have dismissed first team manager Claude Puel this Sunday morning. The 57 year-old manager guided the Foxes to 9th on the table last term, but with Saturday’s loss, the 4th at home on the trot, dropping Leicester to 12th and only 8 points above the drop zone, the club decided to call time on the Frenchman’s spell in the East Midlands. First team coaches Mike Stowell and Adam Stadler will take charge of the club in the interim.
Leicester City Football Club has today (Sunday) parted company with Claude Puel, who leaves his position as First Team Manager with immediate effect.https://t.co/VoZnGBJ8Up
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 24, 2019
Puel guided the Foxes through some of the most difficult times in the history of the club. He was at the helm when Chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others lost their lives in a helicopter crash at the King Power in October. In addition, he was given the unenviable task of transitioning the squad away from the players and style that had won the Premier League in 2015/16.
Puel’s time at Leicester was notable for his unbending, perhaps even stubborn, commitment to his preferred tactics and to bringing young players into the squad. Under him, Leicester became a passing and possession team. We also became the youngest squad in the league which can be something of a double-edged sword for a manager.
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The manager’s style and manner never fully won over the Leicester fans. The patient style of play wasn’t in the club’s DNA prior to Puel’s arrival and you could argue that this remains the case even after his 16 months in charge. In the end, he was doomed by the worst run of home defeats since the Peter Taylor era, culminating in a shocking 4-1 defeat at the King Power to relegation-threatened Crystal Palace.
Claude Puel sacked by #LCFC. Many have finally got their wish.
— James Sharpe (@TheSharpeEnd) February 24, 2019
As someone who admired the job he tried to do, which was needed, it’s a shame he could not see it through.
But results clearly did not match ambition, progress was not quick enough, and the mood irretrievable.
Claude Puel had an unenviable remit: Phase out the Claudio Ranieri’s heroes and build a foundation for the future. The former Lyon and Southampton manager’s commitment to the development of young players leaves the club with a staggering collection of young talent that will surely bear fruit if the club can keep them in the fold. In that respect, Puel did an excellent job and should be commended for putting the club’s long-term health above getting results that might have saved his job. We at the Fosse Posse thank Claude Puel for his service to the club and wish him all the best going in the future.