Vice Chairman backs Puel to take Leicester City forward
By James Lassey
Newly appointed manager Claude Puel was hired because he matched the scope set by owners says Vice Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.
Puel took over from his predecessor Craig Shakespeare and got off to a winning start with a 2-0 win over this season’s stragglers Everton.
Shakespeare was sacked after a sluggish opening eight games in charge and left his role with the Foxes sat in the bottom three.
Claudio Ranieri, Ryan Giggs and many others were all names linked with the job prior to Puel’s appointment, but Aiyawatt, also known as Top was pleased with how Puel handled the interview process.
"Speaking in his column in the Official Matchday Magazine for last Sunday’s match against Everton , Top said: “When we reached the decision to make a change in football management earlier this month, the Board had a clear vision of the profile of character needed to help us move forward and build on the success of recent years,”"
The Frenchman has since spoke about how he hopes to bring attractive, attacking football back to the city of Leicester.
Puel previously led Southampton to eighth place in the Premier League as well as the League Cup final where they lost to Manchester United in the dying moments 3-2.
Since then, Puel has taken the Foxes four points clear of the relegation zone and they travel to 14th place Stoke City on Saturday in a bid to widen the gap.
It was Puel’s preparation and his ability to match the club’s vision alongside his own aspirations that caught the owners’ eye.
"Top added: “As the process of identifying that character began, Claude’s attention to detail, knowledge of our squad and vision to help the club realise its potential marked him out very quickly as the outstanding candidate.“I am really excited to see what we can achieve together.”"
Leicester City’s next five games see them come up against three of the Premier League’s top seven sides with the Kingpower Stadium hosting Manchester City, Burnley and Tottenham. This will be Puel’s first real test as City manager and his side will have to come out on top if they are to continue this good vein form.
Next: Claudio Ranieri turned down Leicester City before Claude Puel appointment