Claude Puel at Saint-Étienne, a youth drive undone by clashes and instability | OneFootball

As Saint-Étienne head into a play-off with Nice, they cross paths with Claude Puel. Hired in autumn 2019, he departed five months before relegation, his methods and youth drive never truly taking hold.

L'Équipe reports that he arrived on 4 October 2019 to replace Ghislain Printant, with a broader brief and a deal to June 2022 on 225,000 euros gross per month, excluding bonuses. He became general manager, joined the board and installed Xavier Thuilot as CEO.

Two days later came a 1-0 derby win over Lyon, Robert Beric scoring. Puel set about hardening standards and stripping senior privileges, while Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer aimed to slim the squad and promote academy players.

The dressing room soon bristled. Beric was sold in January 2020, there was a rupture with Stéphane Ruffier and Yann M'Vila criticised him online. The 8 March 2020 shutdown kept 17th-placed ASSE up, and a 0-1 Coupe de France final loss to PSG brought modest credit.

In 2020-21 they led after four games, slid to 16th by January, then finished 11th. Governance rows saw Thuilot exit and Jean-François Soucasse arrive as CEO in January 2021.

Instability deepened, and they waited until matchday 13 for a first win, 3-2 against Clermont on 7 November 2021.

A 0-5 home defeat by Rennes on 5 December 2021 ended his tenure. Julien Sablé, then Pascal Dupraz, could not turn it round, and in May 2022 Saint-Étienne lost the play-off to Auxerre, 1-1, 1-1 after extra time, 4-5 on penalties.

Source: L'Équipe