Training resumed this Monday for the players of OGC Nice. In front of a small crowd of around a hundred supporters, the team known as the “Aiglons” kicked off the 2015-2016 season, which will lead them up to May 14th next year. It was an opportunity to meet new faces.
Missing Ligue 1? Well, it was time for both the old and new “Aiglons” to get back to work. Five weeks after concluding the 2014-2015 season with a victory in Toulouse (3-2) and achieving an eleventh-place finish, everyone was back in action: staff, players, and management, even though the latter have been working on the Gym’s roster for several weeks now.
Scheduled for 4 pm, the training session was quite popular, attracting around 60 to 70 supporters. Armed with their phones, they eagerly awaited the arrival of the red and black team from the locker room. Not the “favorite Bauthéac,” who transferred to Lille last week, but there was a warm welcome for Hatem Ben Arfa, returning to the Côte d’Azur six months after his transfer fell through. And in a surprise, it was Jérémy Pied who drew the most applause. Having been loaned to Guingamp last season, the midfielder thanked the fans gathered around the fences. The Gym fans also got to greet two new faces: Jean-Mickael Séri and Maxime Le Marchand, who will be officially introduced on Friday.
“They are two quality players with a good mentality. We will help them acclimate. They still have a lot of room for improvement,” said Claude Puel during the first press conference of the season.
The agenda included a very light training session with ball running, duo games, and stretches under the supervision of Claude Puel and his staff. Absent were Romain Genevois, who is slowly recovering from a tibia fracture sustained during the Saint-Etienne-Nice match, as well as Jordan Amavi and Mouez Hassen, who were given two extra days of rest after their call-up to the France U21 squad. It was also an occasion to see returning players like Lucas Rougeaux (loaned to Fréjus Saint Raphaël), Alexandre Mendy (loaned to Nîmes), and Mahamane Traoré, who is recovering from a long-term injury.
The rest of the program for the week includes physical tests at Charles-Ehrmann before the traditional first training camp in Divonne-les-Bains starting Saturday and lasting until the 11th. The last day will feature a friendly match against Lausanne.
Photo credit and more information on www.ogcnice.com
