Claude Puel believes he must 'seduce' Leicester's star players to stay... and he thinks implementing an attractive style of play will do the trick

  • Claude Puel was criticised at Southampton for a pragmatic style of football
  • New Leicester boss thinks he will have to play more attacking brand at Foxes 
  • Frenchman believes his star players will consider staying with exciting game
  • He said: 'I have always got to attract them, to seduce them. It is down to me'

Claude Puel believes he has to ‘seduce’ Leicester’s star names into staying at the King Power Stadium by implementing an attractive style of play.

Riyad Mahrez has made clear his desire to leave, while a number of other high-profile players are likely to weigh up options depending how the weeks prior to January’s transfer window pan out.

Puel knows that one of his first tasks as the new Leicester manager will be to convince the squad his methods are worth buying into.

Claude Puel believes an attractive brand of football will help his key men stay at the club

Claude Puel believes an attractive brand of football will help his key men stay at the club

Riyad Mahrez is one of the Leicester players who wants to leave the club 

Riyad Mahrez is one of the Leicester players who wants to leave the club 

‘It is down to me to make these players want to stay by the fact we are playing good football,’ said Puel. ‘I want them to be happy here, with the type of football that we play.


‘I have always got to attract them, to seduce them. It is down to me to create that ambience and that environment where these players want to thrive and stay and be happy.

‘It is normal for a player who has won the title and played in he Champions League, to maybe have disappointment or frustration because now they

know the high level.

‘We will work together and step by step try to improve to find again this level, this possibility, this ambition, to find these good

results.’

Puel also insisted his thoughts are long-term, even though he was sacked after one season by Southampton and he is Leicester’s third manager in eight months. Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare were both dismissed in controversial circumstances.

‘When you work at high level in professional football at a top club you have to accept that things can happen,’ Puel said. ‘Sometimes decisions can be taken, that you might consider personally to be arbitrary, but it doesn’t make you change the way you approach your job.

Jamie Vardy will be a beneficiary of an attacking style which Puel wants to establish

Jamie Vardy will be a beneficiary of an attacking style which Puel wants to establish

‘I will approach the job in the long term, I will look to develop the club not in the short term. But

obviously you still respect the owners, and people within the club.

‘When I come to a job I always try to bring something, not just on the playing side, on the technical football side, but to develop the club as a whole.

‘I think it’s important to bring youngsters through, to look at the relationship with the u18s, u21, the first team.

‘You make little tweaks yourself in the belief it is always long-term. But you are also aware and you are realistic that it can stop at any moment.’

Puel will first examine how his current coaching team works before deciding whether to bring in any extra backroom staff. Pascal Plancque, an assistant at Southampton, has joined him again while Michael Appleton retained his role as No 2.

‘I just want us to focus together,’ he said. ‘For me I like to see the potential of the staff. It is important to take from the club to keep the spirit for the players, without changing.’

Puel understands that his job is to convince players his philosophy will work for them 

Puel understands that his job is to convince players his philosophy will work for them