Recruited last summer, Niklas Hult and Alassane Plea quickly adapted to Claude Puel’s demanding style of play. Since the restart, the midfielder and the forward have been outstanding, as demonstrated by the victory against Marseille last Friday, where the Swede scored with an assist from the former Lyon player. Investment well spent.
“Plea’s pass back to Hult, who places it with the inside of his foot to score Nice’s second goal.” This happened last Friday in the 73rd minute of the Nice-Marseille clash. Two of the six summer signings secured victory for OGC Nice, their third consecutive win, putting the Eagles in 8th place in Ligue 1. The forward and the midfielder quickly integrated into the Nice squad and adapted swiftly to the pace set by coach Claude Puel.
Arriving at the beginning of July from Elfsborg (Sweden), Niklas Hult had time to find his footing on the Côte d’Azur. Usually positioned on the left side in Sweden, both as a full-back and a wide midfielder, he was quickly repositioned as a defensive midfielder. Since the beginning of the season, Hult has played 17 matches, 13 of which as a starter. Hampered by an injury caused by Bastia’s Drissa Diakité (October 18), this break was beneficial after his full season in Sweden. This Friday, he scored the first goal of his career in France, and no less in a clash against Olympique de Marseille.
“He’s been looking for that goal for a while. It’s great for him, he deserves it, we were all very happy for him. It’s a beautiful goal that gave us the win,” appreciated Eric Bauthéac after the match against Marseille.
A different path for Alassane Plea, who signed with the Eagles at the end of August. Trained in Lyon and then loaned to Auxerre, the youth international chose Nice to refine his skills under Claude Puel, known for giving young players their chance. Initially placed on the right wing, the Nice coach decided to position him as a central forward, convinced of his potential. It was a good decision, as in twenty matches wearing the Gym’s jersey, Plea has already scored 3 goals, all away from home (Bordeaux, Caen, and Guingamp) and provided five assists (he is currently third in the assist leaderboard).
“I’m getting used to this new position as number 9, I enjoy it. I take pleasure in being decisive. The coach is very supportive, we do video analysis particularly for movement off the ball. I feel a real progression since my arrival. I’m stringing together good matches, I just need to maintain consistency now,” explained Alassane Plea, this Tuesday in a press conference.
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