Speaking to Nice-Matin, sporting director Florent Ghisolfi reflected on what he called a “frustrating” transfer window at Ligue 1 side OGC Nice.
Much of Nice’s focus this summer was on shifting some of the deadwood. Many players left. Calvin Stengs, Kasper Dolberg, Ross Barkley, Aaron Ramsey and Kasper Schmeichel were among those who departed the Allianz Riviera this summer. The club didn’t invest heavily either, despite what can be described as a mass exodus. Jérémie Boga was the club’s biggest signing of the summer, arriving from Atalanta for a reported €18m. Aliou Baldé arrived from partner club Lausanne-Sport, whilst Morgan Sanson and Romain Perraud arrived on loan from Aston Villa and Southampton respectively.
However, Nice weren’t only in the market for players, but also a manager. Didier Digard took over from Lucien Favre last January, but it became evident towards the end of the season that he wouldn’t remain in the position. Nice, after a rather lengthy process, landed on Francesco Farioli, who picked up his first win as manager of Les Aiglons just before the international break.
Ghisolfi has now reflected on the summer’s dealings. “[I feel] it was a bit frustrating, for many reasons. We were reacting rather than anticipating. We followed the roadmap and named the head coach later, but despite everything, the end product is positive and coherent,” he said.
On the trimming of the squad, he added, “We have to deconstruct in order to build. 13 departures, it’s a continuation of the winter window (seven departures). We have brought stability to the team by keeping our biggest players and brought maturity by recruiting three players between the ages of 26 and 29 (Boga, Sanson, Perraud) […] We’re hoping for a more mature and competitive team. Another positive point is the mindset the team is giving off. The ambition is that they make this group a family.”
Ghisolfi also expressed delight at managing to retain Khéphren Thuram and Jean-Clair Todibo, describing it as the club’s “best bit of business.”
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
