Manchester United Vs Leicester City: Different players, same story
Back on the hot seat
Since the beginning of the year, Claude Puel’s job has been in jeopardy. Reports of the former OGC Nice manager being sacked only intensified in the final weeks of the 2017/18 season; however, good performances against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly saved the Frenchman’s job for an important summer transfer window.
The Leicester Board backed Puel this summer and let him spend as much as he thought was fit during the transfer window. By allowing the 56-year old to spend a little over £100 million this summer, it appears as if the Frenchman is seen as the long-term managerial answer at the club. The opening day defeat, however, has already led to reports that the gaffer may be sacked as soon as the first international break in mid-September.
The Daily Mirror reports that if Puel cannot start winning before the international break, then he could be replaced either by Belgian international manager Roberto Martinez or his assistant and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
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The reports haven’t surprised anyone, as the Leicester ownership and board are notorious for sacking managers at the first sign of trouble. Since returning to the Premier League in 2014, they’ve got rid of Nigel Pearson, Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare. If Puel is sacked, then the Leicester Board would have fired four managers in under five seasons.
Puel now may have three games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton and Liverpool to prove that he is the right man for the job. It would be interesting to see a proven Premier League manager in Martinez return to England, and it would be a romantic story to see Henry get his first chance as a manager in the country where he became arguably the world’s best player. However, the Leicester owners would still need to be the one thing they have never been: patient.