Puel Set To Bring Nice Player To Saints
If or as seems likely when Claude Puel is announced as the next Saints manager, reports in France say he will bring one of his former players at Nice with him.
L'Equipe in France is saying that Claude Puel will be installed as Saints boss today and that he has already instructed the club to begin negotiations with one of his former charges at Nice, ex Newcastle United player Hatem Ben Arfa.
Ben Arfa who had a rather chequered career at Newcastle before joining Hull on loan for a few months and eventually spending six months out of the game after terminating his contract with the North East club eventually signed for Nice in June 2015 saying that
"Even if Real Madrid had called at that moment, my mind was made up."
He said that he had returned to France because
"There are people here who trust me, who do not judge me as some people want to judge me through the press."
Presumably on of those people was Claude Puel.
Last season he played 34 league games for Nice and scored 32 goals and according to L'Equipe, Puel is keen to bring him to Southampton.
However there are other clubs interested including Leicester City in England, as well as several other clubs on the Continent with Sevilla being named as one.
On paper it looks a decent signing although there is no hint at what sort of fee would be involved, however Ben Arfa is primarily a winger and that would suggest that the signing of Nathan Redmond could be a little premature and that Saints could find themselves top heavy with wide players.
The revolving door at St Mary's could be quite busy this week as Sadio Mane leaves and Claude Puel enters, perhaps joined by one or two others.
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