OGC Nice: the summer transfer window assessment for the Eagles

Initially sluggish, OGC Nice’s transfer market accelerated in the second half of August. In a situation of austerity, the Eagles were forced to slim down a squad and wage bill that had become too large. The big signing of this Nice mercato is named Elye Wahi, returning after six months of dreams on the Côte d’Azur.

Sales, limited room for maneuver, before a major acceleration: that, in summary, is how one could describe this summer 2026 mercato for OGC Nice. June, July and August were far from quiet for Roger Ricort – back at the club in a sporting director role – Maurice Cohen and their team. Once again, Ineos has tightened the purse strings and further reduced the Nice budget in this transfer window. The English giant was even firmer in its decisions, setting itself the objective of selling for €70M. An effort to reduce the wage bill was also desired.

While OGC Nice did not reach this target, its squad and wage bill were drastically reduced. The list of players who left the club this summer is long. Among them are: Mohamed-Ali Cho (€15M), Kojo Peprah Oppong (€12M), Charles Vanhoutte (€5M), Jérémie Boga (€5M), Aliou Baldé (€3M), Tom Louchet (€2M), Terem Moffi (€2M), Gabin Bernardeau (€1M), Mattia Viti (€300,000), Kaïl Boudache (free), Maxime Dupé (free), Kévin Carlos (loan with option to buy), Melvin Bard (loan with option to buy), Tanguy Ndombele (free).

Among them, two departures were strongly desired by the Nice board. “We don’t necessarily respect the man, but we respect the player”, Ricort had declared, regarding Terem Moffi. Like his counterpart Jérémie Boga, the departure of the Nigerian international became essential for OGC Nice. While the striker had returned to the squad at the resumption, he was gradually sidelined before training with the reserves. Eventually, the former Lorient player joined Hamburg for a very low transfer fee, far from the investment made by the Côte d’Azur club upon his arrival in winter 2023 (€30M).

The beautiful Elye Wahi story

A return worthy of a rockstar. OGC Nice supporters did not hesitate to wait for long hours at the city’s airport terminal to welcome Elye Wahi’s return in the best possible way. After six months of dreams on the Côte d’Azur, the Ivorian international landed in the final days of this mercato. The matter was far from simple for the Nice management, who fought to the end to bend Frankfurt’s demands.

The German club wanted a permanent transfer to part with its striker, but they had not counted on Wahi’s expressed desire to join Nice. The striker had made a return to the Eagles a priority and turned down several other possible moves (Lazio Rome, Betis Seville). “Love at first sight”, as the main interested party likes to recall to explain this special connection with the Gym. Ineos made an effort on this matter. Bottom line: Elye Wahi is loaned again to OGC Nice, this time with an option to buy attached to the operation. The latter would be activable at around €15M.

Nice strengthens its attack

To build around Elye Wahi, the Nice side opted for low-cost profiles. In this regard, Olivier Pantaloni’s club recovered Gautier Hein after Metz’s relegation to Ligue 2. The playmaker with the silky left foot brings more technical quality to the Eagles’ attacking sector. The arrival of Nathan Ngoumou, meanwhile, is part of the desire to recruit a quick profile capable of attacking in depth. Here too, the red and black choice looks like a gamble: the Cameroonian international comes off a blank season with his former club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, following an Achilles tendon rupture.

Finally, OGC Nice completed the overhaul of its attacking sector with the signing of Mohamed Amoura. The striker arrives from Wolfsburg, relegated to Bundesliga 2 at the end of last season. The Algerian international arrived early this week on the Côte d’Azur where he was able to pass his traditional medical before signing with the Eagles. The 26-year-old player – capable of playing centrally or on the flank – is loaned with an option to buy. According to some sources, the latter was set at around €20M.

Witsel to compensate for Abergel’s long absence

In his bags, Olivier Pantaloni had brought his former captain from FC Lorient. Released from his contract by his former club, Laurent Abergel cost OGC Nice not a single fee. The midfielder was supposed to embody a new leader in the red and black dressing room and a direct link between the Corsican coach and his new teammates. But here’s the thing, the Eagles’ new number 19 suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the friendly match against Cagliari (0-0, 4-2 penalties). After surgery, he should miss at least six months of competition and consequently a large part of the 2026/27 season.

This injury forced the Nice management to revise their initial plan. A new midfielder recruit, with experience and the ability to guide the young Nice prospects, became more than necessary to fill a gap in Olivier Pantaloni’s squad. To this end, OGC Nice quickly moved to complete the arrival of Axel Witsel. The CV and profile of the Belgian international ticked all the search criteria. And the former Atlético Madrid player had the advantage of being free after his contract with Girona ended last June.

Youth to complete the Nice squad

While OGC Nice had decided not to recruit in its defensive sector – where Kojo Oppong left the club to join Fenerbahce – the Eagles ultimately bet on the future to expand this area of play. On Monday, the Gym officially announced the arrival of Abdelhak Ben Idder from Paradou, the famous Algerian club renowned for its academy, the very place where Boudaoui had made his professional debut with the same team. The young center-back already has experience with his country’s youth teams, and could integrate into Olivier Pantaloni’s rotation in the medium term.

In addition to Ben Idder, OGC Nice has advanced on another prospect to strengthen its squad. The Côte d’Azur club has acquired young Ismaël Koné (18 years old). The midfielder has a modern box-to-box profile and technical ability above players in his age group. For now, Koné should integrate the Elite group before making an appearance within the professional red and black squad. His progress will be worth following closely!

Finally, the last move of OGC Nice’s mercato is Niels Nkounkou. Like Wahi, the left-back is loaned with an option to buy by Eintracht Frankfurt. If the Eagles were not supposed to strengthen this position, the departure of Melvin Bard to Leeds United shook the Nice management’s certainties. The former ASSE player has an offensive profile, with pace and drive, which should fit perfectly into the wing-back role in Olivier Pantaloni’s system.