Boufal and Puel will shine together, says Griffit

Southampton manager Claude Puel and new signing Sofiane Boufal are a match made in heaven, according to former Saints man Lèandre Griffit.

Boufal agreed to move across the channel in a club-record deal from French club Lille during the final week of the summer transfer window, as Puel fended off the advances of a host of clubs across Europe for his signature.

And Griffit, who played for Southampton between 2003 and 2005, believes Puel’s style will naturally encourage Boufal to flourish and turn him into an even more mouth-watering prospect.

“Puel knows this kind of player,” he said. “He has worked with a lot of young players in Nice, and he knows exactly what to do, to bring him to become one of the best.

“It’s a good coach for him and a good team, because Southampton is a team that loves playing football, and I am sure the fans are going to love him. There is no doubt about that.

“He needs some time, too, because it’s a new country, he’s young, it’s a new language, so I think he needs some time, but it’s really good that the coach is Puel, because it’s going to help him.

“When Sofiane Boufal was in France, every club wanted him. As a coach, Puel knew that no way was he going to bring this kind of player to Nice.

“Southampton give him this opportunity to buy this kind of player. Not so many clubs can buy a player like him, so it’s a good opportunity for Puel to work with a player like him.”