Southampton sacked manager Claude Puel on Wednesday night after just a year in charge at St Mary’s.
The Frenchman had moved to the south coast outfit from Nice last summer but despite securing an eighth-place finish and reaching the final of the League Cup, it wasn’t deemed to be enough for the club to keep the faith with him for another season.
Of course, the fact that the supporters had criticised the style of football and that the side only scored 17 home league goals all season certainly paid a part, and Saints will now look to make a long-term addition that will play an attractive brand of football.
His dismissal will be met with interest by a number of Southampton players who became frustrated with life under the Frenchman last season, with a change of boss potentially saving their careers at St Mary’s.
Here are three Saints players that will be happy Puel has been sacked…
Shane Long
Despite enjoying his best ever Premier League season under the leadership of Ronald Koeman before the Dutchman left to join Everton, Long found opportunities to start up top hard to come by under Claude Puel with many of his outings coming from the substitutes’ bench.
The Republic of Ireland international scored 13 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions during the 2015/16 campaign but he ended last season with just five in 42 with first Charlie Austin, and then Manolo Gabbiadini, preferred in the striker’s position.
Long will hope he is given more of a run in the side when the new man comes in.
Jay Rodriguez
The forward is still looking to recapture the form that saw him on the brink of going to the 2014 World Cup with England before he suffered a serious injury against Manchester City a couple of months before, but he has struggled to do so.
The 27-year-old certainly wouldn’t have been happy that he often found himself behind Charlie Austin and Long in the pecking order at the start of the season, or with Claude Puel’s rotation policy.
A fine case in point is when Rodriguez scored one and assisted the other in Saints’ 2-1 win against Middlesbrough in May, before he was left on the bench for the following game at home to Manchester United.
If he does stay at St Mary’s this summer, he will be another hoping for time on the pitch next term.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Southampton fans would have been excited last summer when Hojbjerg arrived in a £12m deal from Bayern Munich and showed what he was capable of during pre-season.
Comfortable in possession and with the ability to take players on and get himself out of tight situations, the midfielder looked to have a bright future.
However, the 21-year-old started to lose form towards the end of 2016 following Claude Puel’s rotation and spent the majority of the second half of the campaign on the bench, or sometimes even failing to make the squad.
Hojbjerg clearly needs a run in the side – something that James Ward-Prowse was given and benefitted from last season – and he will hope to get that next term.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.
