Puel started his football career as a youth with Castres FC, where he was spotted by AS Monaco, joining their training centre in 1977. He played his first professional game in the 1979–80 season. He spent his entire career at Monaco, playing 601 official matches in total. During his time at Monaco, he won two championships and three French Cups. He also played under compatriot Arsène Wenger who jovially recalled being on the wrong end of a sliding tackle saying "Even on the morning of a Cup final he could tackle and even if it was the manager then no problem!".
Managerial career
Monaco
Before being appointed as the manager of Monaco, he was the physical trainer and manager of Monaco's reserve team. He was appointed as the manager in January 1999. He won the French Championship in 2000, with players such as Ludovic Giuly and Marcelo Gallardo. In July 2001, his contract was not renewed and he left Monaco after 24 years at the club as a player and a coach.
Lille
In July 2002, he was appointed manager of Lille, where he became one of the longest serving coaches in the French league, serving for six consecutive seasons. Lille were one of the winners of the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, having defeated U.D. Leiria of Portugal 2–0 in extra time in the final after a goalless aggregate draw.
Lyon
Puel joined Olympique Lyonnais, the team who had won the last seven French league titles, on a four-year contract on 18 June 2008. In 2010, he helped the club reach the semi-final of the Champions Leaguefor the first time in its history. In his final game in charge in May 2011, he defeated his former club Monaco and ended their 34-year spell in the top flight. Lyon terminated his contract on 20 June 2011, although he had just finished third, as he had not won a trophy in his three seasons.
Nice
On 23 May 2012, Puel reached agreement on a three-year deal with OGC Nice.
Southampton
On 30 June 2016, Puel was appointed the manager of Southampton on a three-year deal. On 14 June 2017, Puel's contract was "terminated with immediate effect". His sacking yielded mixed reactions. In his only season in charge, Southampton reached the League Cup final and recorded an 8th-place finish in the Premier League, albeit with 17 fewer points than his predecessor Ronald Koeman attained the season prior. Puel was particularly criticised for his defensive tactics, with Southampton's scoring record one of the poorest in the league. Sports journalist Paul Doyle called Puel "a victim of Southampton's admirably unreasonable expectations".
Leicester City
On 25 October 2017, Puel was appointed as the new manager of struggling Premier League side Leicester City, replacing recently sacked Craig Shakespeare, on a contract running until June 2020. His first game in charge came on 29 October, when they beat Everton 2–0 in the Premier League. From 31 January 2018 until the end of the season, Leicester recorded only three wins from 14 league games, a dismal run that saw Puel accused of negative football. His decision to block Riyad Mahrez's transfer to Manchester City on deadline day resulted in the player going absent from training for ten days. Puel joined Leicester in 13th place and helped the club climb up the table to finish in ninth position. After the season concluded, it was speculated that Puel would be leaving the club, though he continued as manager. A shock 2–1 FA Cup third round defeat to League TwoNewport County on 6 January 2019, in which Puel was jeered by Leicester fans for fielding an understrength side, was voted by BBC viewers as the biggest upset of the competition. Having gone six league games without a win, Puel was sacked by Leicester on 24 February 2019, following a defeat at home to Crystal Palace the previous day.
Saint-Étienne
On 4 October 2019, Puel returned to Ligue 1 when he was appointed as AS Saint-Étienne's new manager, on a contract lasting until 2022. Two days later was his first match, the Derby du Rhône against his former team Lyon, and won 1–0 at home with a last-minute goal by substitute Robert Beric. Puel's team beat reigning champions Rennes in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France on 5 March 2020, to reach the final for the first time since 1982. They lost that match on 24 July, by a single goal to Paris Saint-Germain.
Personal life
Puel has two sons and a daughter. Both of his sons, Paulin and Grégoire, are professional footballers and played under his command at Nice.
