According to AS Saint-Étienne manager Claude Puel, Leicester new boy Wesley Fofana had to be sold or the club and their employees would’ve been at risk, according to Get French Football News.
GFFN quote the ex-Leicester boss as saying: ‘Should we have kept Wesley and put the club in danger? We’re making huge efforts to find (financial) solutions without the possibility of bringing in new players.
‘Between saving the club and its employees, and keeping Wesley, there was no debate.’
The Ligue 1 outfit received four bids in total from Brendan Rodgers’ side according to L’Equipe (via GFFN) while they also received a proposal from West Ham for the 19-year-old, as Sky Sports reported.
The Hammers made a take-it-or-leave-it bid for the teenager worth £33 million.
However, they wanted to shell out only £23 million of that upfront and also pay it over six annual instalments.
Despite rejecting a number of offers, it is clear in Puel’s comments that he was playing poker with the two Premier League sides all along, as Saint-Étienne were clearly in dire need of the money.
It appears to have done the trick.
Saint-Étienne received a whopping £36.5 million for the centre-back who has just 30 first-team appearances to his name, which is pretty good going given his lack of experience.
Puel might’ve got one over on his old club, but he did so with the best interests of his current side and obtained a huge fee for Fofana.
His nerve during negotiations must be commended, and hopefully the money can ensure the futures of every staff member at Saint-Étienne.
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