Southampton has appointed former Nice and Lyon boss Claude Puel as its new manager on a three-year contract, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
The 54-year-old, who arrived at Nice in July 2012 on an initial three-year deal, led it to a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season.
Puel, who guided Olympique Lyon to its first Champions League semifinal in 2010, will succeed Dutchman Ronald Koeman, who moved from Southampton to Everton in June.