Southampton Football Club — 2016/17 season (around Claude Puel’s appointment)

• Club: Southampton Football Club (often called “Saints”)
• Country: England
• Stadium: St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
• Manager/Head Coach: Claude Puel (appointed June 2016)
• Chairman/Owner (2016/17): Katharina Liebherr remained club owner; general oversight by the board and chief executives during this period
• League (2016/17): English Premier League
• 2016/17 Premier League finish: 8th place
• Domestic cups (2016/17):
  • FA Cup: Eliminated in the Fifth Round (lost to Arsenal)
  • League Cup (EFL Cup): Eliminated in Third Round
• Notable players (squad around 2016/17):
  • Shane Long
  • Dusan Tadic
  • Manolo Gabbiadini (joined January 2017)
  • Oriol Romeu
  • Virgil van Dijk (sold January 2018, but was at the club through 2016/17)
  • Sofiane Boufal (signed summer 2016)
  • Sadio Mané (sold to Liverpool in summer 2016)
  • Fraser Forster (goalkeeper)
• Style and notes under Claude Puel:
  • Puel emphasized organized defending, compact shape and quick transitions.
  • He worked with a relatively young squad and integrated new signings such as Sofiane Boufal and, later in the season, Manolo Gabbiadini.
  • The club improved on the previous season’s league position, finishing in the top half (8th).
• Kit (2016/17): Traditional red-and-white home kit; away and third kits varied that season (white/black away combinations used).

Quick season snapshot: Claude Puel’s first season in charge saw Southampton stabilize after earlier turmoil, achieving a respectable 8th-place finish in the Premier League while making modest progress in cup competitions.