OGC Nice confirmed this Wednesday the loan signing of Valère Germain, a forward from AS Monaco. The fourth recruit of the transfer window joined his teammates during the day at the pre-season training camp. A significant boost for Nice’s attack.
And that’s 4. After Ben Arfa, Le Marchand, and Séri, welcome to Valère Germain. Following the departure of Dario Cvitanich last winter and the return of Carlos Eduardo from loan (to Porto), Nice had to be proactive in the transfer market for attackers. Mission accomplished with a player who will make the 25-kilometer journey from Monaco to Nice. Goodbye to La Turbie and Louis-II, hello to Charles-Ehrmann and Allianz Riviera.
Blocked for two seasons by the Monaco “stars” Radamel Falcao, Dimitar Berbatov, and, since last season, Anthony Martial, Valère Germain wanted to flourish elsewhere and, most importantly, play. Nantes and Montpellier were interested, but the attacker born in Marseille chose regional stability. He will reunite with his former teammates in the Principality, Valentin Eysseric and Nampalys Mendy, and also with Alexy Bosetti, whom he met in the French under-21 team.
At 25 years old, Valère Germain has scored 36 goals in 142 professional matches. After successfully completing the traditional medical examination, he joined his new teammates in Divonne-les-Bains via Geneva for a first training session… basketball. The serious work begins this Thursday morning for the fifth day of the red and black’s training camp.
On the field, it remains to be seen whether Claude Puel will stick to his 4-2-3-1 formation from last season or switch to a 4-4-2 with Plea and Germain supported by Ben Arfa. On paper, the Gym’s starting eleven seems balanced and capable of competing in the top half of the table. The group’s cohesion will be tested with the first friendly match against Lausanne (Swiss D2) this Saturday to conclude the first training camp.
To see him officially play in red and black, we’ll have to wait for the first day of Ligue 1 for… the Côte d’Azur derby between Nice and Monaco, a nod from fate. Unless he cannot be registered on the match sheet due to agreements between the two clubs, as is often the case for a loan deal.
Photo credit and more information on www.ogcnice.com
