Puel appointed Saint-Etienne coach

Saint-Etienne have appointed Claude Puel as their new head coach and general manager after the Ligue 1 club suspended Ghislain Printant.

Former Monaco, Lille, Lyon and Nice coach Puel returns to French football after three years away, following spells in the Premier League with Southampton and Leicester City.

Saint-Etienne announced Printant has been suspended from his duties, with the coach called for an interview “about a possible breach of his employment contract”.

Puel has signed a deal running to 2022, Saint-Etienne said on their website, and Jacky Bonnevay has been appointed as his assistant at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

Saint-Etienne are 19th in the Ligue 1 table after recording only two wins in the league this season, while they have only taken one point from two Europa League group games.

Puel’s first match in charge of Les Verts will come on Sunday at home to Lyon, whom he led to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2010.