The 54-year-old Frenchman, who left the Ligue 1 club in May after four years in charge, has signed a three-year contract with Saints. He replaces Ronald Koeman, who took over at Everton on 16 June. Saints executive director of football Les Reed described the search for a new manager as "diligent and meticulous" and that the "process eliminated a number of excellent candidates". Southampton considered ex-Roma boss Rudi Garcia, while a move for former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini was not pursued after initial talks. "Claude clearly came out on top of a very impressive shortlist," added Reed. e He added that the Puel would "meet our needs as a club" while "taking account of our culture, vision and values". Eric Black, Aston Villa's caretaker manager last season following Remi Garde's sacking, joins Puel as assistant manager with former Boulogne coach Pascal Plancque as assistant first-team coach. Coach Sammy Lee has left the back-room team. Following finishes of eighth and seventh, Southampton finished sixth in the Premier League last season, which earned them a place in the Europa League. Reed said the club's aim was to "repeat and improve on our performances in the Premier League", adding that Puel's Champions League experience would be "valuable" in their European campaign.
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