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".