Three days before the training resumes, Jean-Pierre Rivière and Claude Puel officially presented Julien Vercauteren and Niklas Hult, the two first recruits of the summer transfer window.
“They have the kind of profile we love in Nice, they have an excellent mindset, they are well-behaved in their daily lives, but show real grit once on the field,” said the coach from the Côte d’Azur, lavish in his praise for Julien Vercauteren and Niklas Hult, his two new players.
For president Jean-Pierre Rivière, they are “two young prospects, who will help the team have a better season than the last.”
Little known to the general public, the two footballers are eager to make a name for themselves among Nice fans. Vercauteren is a versatile 21-year-old attacking midfielder, very comfortable technically. The Belgian chose to join OGC Nice because “the club has a lot of ambition and greatly develops young players.”
On his part, Hult can play as a defender or left midfielder. A two-time Swedish international, the 24-year-old is a fast, very enduring player.
Alongside this presentation, two other names frequently came up: Eric Abidal and David Ospina. Regarding the former, Claude Puel neither denied nor confirmed the rumor sending the French international to the Côte d’Azur club at the start of the season, simply stating, “he is among the players who may interest us.”
As for the Colombian goalkeeper, still under contract for one more year, it will be very difficult to keep him. But once again, the Nice coach sidestepped the issue: “He has been here for a long time now, he has a choice to make. But whichever choice he makes, we will respect it.”
Despite other journalists’ questions about the rest of the transfer window, the president and the Nice coach remained tight-lipped, merely repeating that “we will have to sell before buying,” and that “if there are arrivals, there will also be departures, as there’s no use in stockpiling players.”
