Southampton axe Puel as manager

CLAUDE Puel was sacked as Southampton manager on Wednesday after just one season in charge, the English Premier League (PL) club said.

Puel, 55, took Southampton to a respectable eighth-place finish in the table and to the League Cup final, where they were defeated by Manchester United.

“Southampton Football Club can today confirm that it has terminated the contract of Claude Puel with immediate effect,” the club said.

Puel, a Frenchman, was booed by his own fans when visitors Stoke City won 1-0 at St Mary’s on the final day of the PL season last month.

“Everyone at Southampton would like to express our thanks to Claude for his hard work and commitment this year. The search for a new management team is under way,” the club said.