As the summer transfer window closed this Friday, September 1st at 11 PM, let’s take stock of OGC Nice’s recruitments. It was an eventful off-season for the Eagles, despite a reduced budget this year.
As every year, the last hours of the transfer window were hectic. The 2023 summer transfer window closed its doors this Friday, September 1st, at 11 PM, two and a half months after its opening. For the Eagles, the period was busy, both in terms of departures and arrivals.
Jérémie Boga and Morgan Sanson, headlining the red and black recruits
Florent Ghisolfi, the club’s sporting director, was in charge of recruitment this summer. From the start of the summer, Ineos announced that financial means would be limited this year. Nevertheless, that didn’t prevent several impressive CVs from arriving on the French Riviera. Morgan Sanson (29 years old), a midfielder, arrives on loan with a purchase option of around eight million euros from Aston Villa. Jérémie Boga (26 years old) also signed for 20 million euros from Atalanta Bergamo. The club has also finalized the priority signing of a left-back.
After hoping for Lucas Digne for a long time, the Gym turned to Romain Perraud (25 years old). The left-back trained at OGC Nice. He arrives from Southampton with a purchase option of around five million euros. The people of Nice are also registering the arrival of the young Amidou Doumbouya (16 years old). The young central defender signs his first professional contract, after training on the side of Sochaux. He comes to eventually succeed Dante in the Nice defense.
Finally, Aliou Baldé (20 years old) will be the last summer recruit. The versatile winger, capable of playing on both sides, arrives from Lausanne, a second club owned by the Ineos group. The transfer fee is said to be 2.5 million euros according to Nice-Matin. “I can’t wait to discover Ligue 1 and the Allianz Riviera crowd. I hope we achieve great things together,” declared the Senegalese player.
Many movements in the direction of departures
The Gym’s transfer window is more about quality than quantity in terms of arrivals, with many departures taking place. A significant number of unwelcome players were shown the door. Kasper Dolberg, one of the first signings under the Ineos era, joins Anderlecht. Calvin Stengs has left for Feyenoord, Aaron Ramsey for Cardiff. Mattia Viti will play for Sassuolo in Italy this season on a loan with a purchase option. Nicolas Pépé and Joe Bryan were not retained after their loans and have returned to their respective clubs. FC Nantes exercised the option to purchase Andy Delort. Ross Barkley was not extended. He left the club as a free agent after spending one season with the Eagles.
But even there, nothing is finished. Bilal Brahimi joined Brest in the final hours of the summer transfer window. Not in Francesco Farioli‘s plans, the Algerian international is loaned for a year to the Bretons. Just hours before the transfer window closed, OGC Nice announced the mutual termination of the contract with Danish international Kasper Schmeichel. The goalkeeper leaves Nice and is free to join any club he wishes. Teddy Boulhendi is expected to be the backup for Marcin Bulka this season.
Now that the transfer window is closed, it’s time for action. OGC Nice faces Racing Club de Strasbourg as part of the 4th round of the championship. Kick-off is at 5 PM on Sunday, September 3rd. The Eagles will be aiming for their first victory this season in the championship.
