Annoyed by the accusations of his former president, Claude Puel dotted the I.
Questioned by Roland Romeyer in an interview published last week in Progress, the former coach of AS Saint-Etienne, Claude Puel, wanted to defend himself. Especially when his former president accuses him of not having wanted to strengthen the workforce last summer, so “that we had the means to recruit”, says Romeyer. “Some players wanted to stay (Debuchy, Monnet-Paquet), others were available. It was a choice of the general manager. He thought that with the squad he had available, it was going to do it. What we didn’t spend last summer, we will spend now. The money was budgeted.”.
“When a coach leaves a club, it is tempting to make him bear all the responsibility for a situation (the Greens are last in Ligue 1, with 12 points, after the first legs). Out of respect for what ASSE represents and the end-of-season objective (maintenance), I have no intention of disturbing staff or players in their business. This is why I will not argue about the inaccuracies and contradictions held in Le Progrès by the management of the club concerning me. I remain attached to ASSE, to its future and to all the people I appreciate within it – employees, staff, players – and to whom I wish the best.”, curtly launched the French technician in the columns of The Team.