Charlie Austin has confessed that he was furious with former Southampton manager Claude Puel during his tenure at St Mary’s.

The 37-year-old spent three and a half years with the Saints, joining from QPR in 2016 following their Premier League relegation.

While injuries hindered his stint with the Hampshire club, he still made 71 top-flight matches.

During that time, the striker scored 16 goals and assisted three times, helping the team qualify for the Europa League under Ronald Koeman.

Puel took over as manager of their European campaign in 2017 after the Dutchman left to join Everton.

Southampton finished ninth, seventeenth, and sixteenth in Austin’s final three seasons at St. Mary’s, while the team was also eliminated from the Europa League group stage in 2016/17.

Charlie Austin opens up on the Claude Puel dispute.

Austin has recalled an incident between himself and Puel during his time at Southampton, when he was benched for a Premier League match against Swansea despite scoring twice in the Europa League just a few days prior.

He said that he was enraged at being dropped, and that his goal off the bench was an attempt to show two fingers to the Frenchman, but that the matter ended there.

“I remember it happened to me once in two different competitions,” Austin explained on the Charlie Austin Football Channel podcast.

“I scored two goals against Sparta Prague for Southampton in the Europa League, then on Sunday, I was on the bench in the Premier League.

“I was seething.

“But then I came on and scored the winning goal against Swansea, and we won 1-0, and I was like, Claude Puel, that’s two fingers to you.

“But then I got in and I played, it was fine.”

Southampton defeated Sparta Prague 3-0 on September 15, 2016, thanks to a brace from Austin and a stoppage-time goal from Jay Rodriguez.

The 37-year-old scored his first goal from the penalty spot in the first few minutes, then added a second before halftime.

However, he had to wait until the 53rd minute to come off the bench in a 1-0 win over Swansea a few days later, and his goal came in the 64th minute.

Charlie Austin’s Southampton highlights include a brace against Sparta Prague, which kicked off a four-game scoring streak across three competitions.

He also started and scored in the EFL Cup’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on September 21, and delivered another goal and an assist in the Saints’ 3-0 Premier League victory over West Ham on September 25.

Charlie Austin – Southampton league goals and appearances (source: Fbref.com)

Season

Appearances (starts)

Goals (Assists).

2015-16

7 (2)

1 (0)

2016-17

15 (11)

6 (1)

2017-18

24 (10)

7 (0)

2018-19

25 (11)

2 (2)

Austin failed to score in their following game, a 0-0 tie against champions Leicester City, but he scored twice against Burnley on October 16.

The 37-year-old scored just twice more for the rest of the season, totalling nine goals in 2016/17, his most productive season with the club.

Charlie Austin provides insight into the psychology of a successful striker.

Austin has provided an intriguing glimpse into life at Southampton, as well as the mindset required to be a good striker.

He was able to channel his wrath at being demoted to lead the Saints on a successful scoring streak.

While he did not reach the same heights for the club after this run ended, he did produce some memorable moments throughout his stay at St. Mary’s.

Puel was not the most popular manager at Southampton, and Championship supporters may not be surprised to learn that he occasionally irritated the players.