This Monday, starting from 8 PM, the 2025 summer transfer window officially closed in France. We summarize all the movements at Nice, both arrivals and departures.
Economy, sales, and slight investment! In a few words, this is how we could summarize the 2025 summer transfer window for OGC Nice. Almost abandoned by their owner, Ineos, the Aiglons had to operate with a tight budget. The Gym’s first summer recruits took time to adapt to their new environment, mirroring the difficult start of the season for Franck Haise’s men.
This weekend, the Niçois conceded their second defeat in just three Ligue 1 matches, on the field of Le Havre (1-3). Internally, the summer was also eventful. The club’s historic president, Jean-Pierre Rivère, resigned on August 20th. The representative from the Côte d’Azur was succeeded by Fabrice Boucquet, who already held the position of general manager within the club.
A timid transfer window in terms of arrivals
€27.68M! This is the amount invested by OGC Nice during the summer transfer window. The Gym chose to go for young profiles with high potential. In defense, Franck Haise strengthened the team with the arrivals of Juma Bah and Kojo Peprah Oppong. The two young defenders were thrust into starting roles, which was not necessarily in the Gym’s initial plans. Numerous absences in this area of the game (Dante, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Mohamed Abdelmonem) forced the Nice coach to deploy them sooner than expected.
As for leadership, Nice registered the arrival of Yehvann Diouf. An experienced L1 goalkeeper, the former Stade de Reims goalkeeper succeeds Marcin Bulka in the Côte d’Azur goal. The profile of Salis Abdul Samed was requested by Franck Haise himself, having had the player under his command during his tenure at Lens. However, the Ghanaian international had been sidelined in recent months at the northern club. He will need time to regain his rhythm and playing volume. Finally, the recruitment of Gabin Bernardeau is more anecdotal. The arrival of the young attacking midfielder was conceived for the long term.
Two recruits in the last two days of the transfer window
To strengthen its attacking sector, OGC Nice bet on Isak Jansson (€10M) and Kevin Carlos (€6M). At the start of the season, the first mentioned demonstrated his speed and striking abilities, although he needs to improve his consistency and effectiveness. Meanwhile, the Spanish striker will compete with Terem Moffi at the forward position. The former FC Basel player possesses quite impressive athletic and physical qualities.
The Gym was active in the final days of the transfer window, announcing the arrival of two new players. The first is Tiago Gouveia from Benfica Lisbon. The Portuguese player benefits from versatility, being primarily a winger but also able to play as a wing-back. Finally, the last recruit of the summer is Charles Vanhoutte, who played for Union Saint-Gilloise. “My goals are simple: I want to fight for the club, for my teammates, and for the supporters. It’s up to us to do everything to be competitive and win as many matches as possible,” the player reveals, who was recently called up for the first time to the national team with the Red Devils.
Franck Haise lost several key players from his squad
Evann Guessand, Gaëtan Laborde, Marcin Bulka, Badredine Bouanani, Pablo Rosario. The list is long, and OGC Nice lost a good part of its key players this summer. The first departure was the Polish goalkeeper. He refused to extend his contract, and negotiations were deadlocked. With one year left on his contract, he finally moved to Saudi Arabia (€15M), a destination also favored by Laborde.
Here, too, OGC Nice saw the opportunity to offload one of the highest salaries from its payroll. Rosario and Guessand were given the green light to leave Nice. The Ivorian, a red and black revelation from last season, pursued the Premier League by signing with Aston Villa (€30M). The midfielder joined FC Porto, where he reunites with Francesco Farioli. Finally, internally, an opportunity arose regarding Bouanani. Highly interested in the Algerian, Stuttgart did not hesitate to spend €20M (including bonuses) to recruit the winger, who will continue his career in Germany.
On paper, OGC Nice’s transfer window may lack some excitement. The bets made by the Nice management will need confirmation. In terms of personnel, a new cycle has begun. Franck Haise is on the lookout for a new formula. Things will need to come together quickly. The Gym will soon start a new Europa League campaign after the international break. Within the Côte d’Azur club, no one wants a repeat of last season’s disastrous campaign (no wins in eight matches).
