Fifteenth in Ligue 1 with only 4 points ahead of Nîmes, the current roadblocker, Saint-Etienne is living an absolutely disastrous season.
In October, the arrival of Claude Puel had revitalized ASSE but for ten games, the results have deteriorated to the point that Saint-Etienne is fighting again not to go down. Maintaining is also the sole objective of the Greens during this second part of the season, according to Claude Puel himself. “We have been looking down, I have been saying this for a while, because in addition we have had match sequences and that for six months. We have been chained for six months, we have injured people, they come back and re-injure themselves. We are very much in demand ” railed the ASSE coach at the beginning of February, very concerned about the current situation.
However, Claude Puel can be serene on one thing: his future. Indeed, Le 10 Sport indicates that ASSE, which has made a huge effort on the contract of the former Leicester manager, has neither the intention nor the financial capacity to afford to dismiss Claude Puel. It must be said that in Forez, the 58-year-old technician earns more than 250,000 euros gross per month, without counting many very juicy premiums. With a contract running until June 2022, a dismissal of Claude Puel would cost ASSE far too expensive. Descent into Ligue 2 or not at the end of the season, the former coach of the OGC Nice will therefore not be thanked by Roland Romeyer and Bernard Caïazzo. There is nothing more to hope for the Greens and their supporters than Saint-Etienne will manage to save himself in order to launch a new cycle next season … with Claude Puel at the helm.