Leicester get rid of coach Puel
Leicester announced the sacking of manager Claude Puel on Sunday following the struggling Premier League side’s sixth defeat in seven games.
Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Crystal Palace dropped the 2015-16 champions to 12th, only eight points above the relegation places.
The club said: “Leicester City Football Club has today (Sunday) parted company with Claude Puel, who leaves his position as first team manager with immediate effect.”
First team coaches Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler will assume caretaking responsibilities.
“The club would like to thank Claude for his efforts in leading the team during his 16 months in the role and wish him well in his career,” the club said.
Puel’s assistant manager Jacky Bonnevay has also lost his position.
The 57-year-old Puel is the fifth English topflight manager to be sacked this season, following Slavisa Jokanovic from Fulham, Mark Hughes (Southampton), Jose Mourinho (Manchester United) and David Wagner (Huddersfield Town).
The Foxes’ miserable run includes a defeat to League Two side Newport in the FA Cup.
Their dip in form followed a promising period over Christmas when they beat both Chelsea and Manchester City, their last home success on Boxing Day. Their last win was on New Year’s Day, with Jamie Vardy scoring the goal in a 1-0 victory at Everton.
The Midlands side have had a traumatic season with the death of owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others in a helicopter crash outside the club’s King Power stadium in October.
Puel took over from Craig Shakespeare at Leicester in October 2017 after a year-long spell in charge of Southampton.
He was backed by the club’s board last summer, spending money on the likes of James Maddison, Ricardo Pereira, Rachid Ghezzal and Caglar Soyuncu.
However, the Frenchman’s approach came under fire from fans, especially his use of Jamie Vardy – with the former England striker also publicly questioning his manager’s tactics.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is reported to be the front-runner to replace Puel, with the club set to install an interim manager for the remainder of the season. – AFP