Legends: ‘Wrong to sack Puel’

SOUTHAMPTON legends Lawrie McMenemy and Mick Channon claim Saints were mad to axe manager Claude Puel.

The Frenchman was given the boot in midweek after just a season in charge despite leading the club to eighth in the Premier League and taking them to EFL Cup final.

Former Saints boss McMenemy said: “They should have give him an opportunity to get it right. He had two more years left on his contract.”

And Southampton’s record scorer Channon said: “I don’t think he did a bad job. Why sack someone if you’ve got no-one better?”

Mauricio Pellegrino and Frank de Boer are the two leading contenders to replace Puel, who claimed he has missed out on a number of possible new jobs because of the length of time it took to sack him.

Puel said: “The separation came a little late. I’ve had a lot of interest for a month, but I did not talk to anyone because I was under contract and I like to respect my contracts.

“I think that my departure is for a little more than sporting reasons.”