Speaking about his fellow Frenchman, who he phoned asking for advice before accepting the Southampton job in June, Puel said: “Before signing for Southampton I spoke with him about the possibilities to coach in England”.
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Both players are in selection contention for the Premier League clash at Emirates Stadium, where Puel, no novice in the dugout at 55 years old, will test himself against the managerial stalwart who coached him in Ligue 1.
However, I’m not sure Wenger should be resting too many other key players against Southampton as this is just as important a game as the PSG match – if not more important.
“Arsene is an example for all the coaches because for so many years he’s done really well in the Premier League, with Champions League secured every season”.
I’m sure Alexis will be desperate to play tomorrow afternoon but perhaps it would be best to leave him on the bench and only bring him on if needed as he won’t be 100% fit following his late arrival from South America. As we all know, players just returned from the baffling early-season worldwide break and given that Alexis played a prominent role for Chile it’s natural that his status for tomorrow’s game is in the spotlight. I liken my qualities to Messi and Ronaldo.
Finally, Southampton manager Claude Puel confirmed that Boufal faces a further month out with a knee injury.
“Jose is important, captain of the team with a good spirit and a professional player. I hope he can come back at end of the season to help us”.
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Ryan Bertrand is back in contention for Saints after missing the first three games of the season due to a knee injury but record signing Sofiane Boufal is out for four weeks due to “a little injury”.
