Nice had a very good season
The club from the South of France was usually a relegation candidate, but last season was different as they had a very good year and finished in the top half of the table. The team finished 8th with 55 points, and even reached the quarterfinals of the League Cup, where they were eliminated by Auxerre after penalties. Key players last season were talented keeper Lloris, who is set to become number one keeper in the national team, midfielders Balmont and Ederson, who were the creative force of the team, and strikers Kone and Laslandes. Kone was the best scorer last season with 14 goals while Laslandes added much needed experience to the team. Good performances of these players didn’t go unnoticed and all of them, except for Laslandes who ended his career, were sold to the bigger clubs.
The club decided to sell the star players
After great season, the club decided to cash in, and sold four key players for the amount of € 35 million. Lloris, Balmont, Ederson and Kone were all sold, which created a big gap in the team. The club tried to replace them with young talented players, and to start creating a new team. Chaouki Ben Saada came from Bastia, and he is said to have a lot of potential. After unsuccessful episode at Reading, Emers Fae will try to revive his career at Nice. Another young player, Eric Mouloungui, came from Strasbourg in an attempt to replace Baky Kone, while former Lyon prospect Loic Remy might be Nice’s best signing of this transfer window. Matt Moussilou returned from loan spell in Qatar, and he will add depth in attack. The club mainly signed young players, which shows their intention of building for the future.
In
Loic Remy (Lyon)
Eric Mouloungui (Strasbourg)
Emers Fae (on loan from Reading)
Chaouki Ben Saada (Bastia)
Kafoumba Coulibaly (Bastia)
David Ospina (Atlético Nacional)
Matt Moussilou (returned from loan at Al-Arabi)
Out
Bakari Kone (Marseille)
Hugo Lloris (Lyon)
Florent Balmont (Lille)
Ederson (Lyon)
Souleymane Camara (Montpellier)
Anthony Scaramizzino (Sedan)
Nice should avoid relegation battle
Nice is weaker than last season, as four key players left the club, and very young players were brought to replace them. Lloris, Kone and Ederson will be very hard to replace, and new players will need some time to adapt. The defense stayed the same, and Apam, Kante and Rool are very experienced players, and the team shouldn’t have too much problems in that area. Ederson will be hard to replace in midfield, as he created a lot of chances for his strikers. Ben Saada is still inexperienced while we are yet to see if Fae can pull the strings in midfield. Baky Kone and Laslandes are both gone and Nice still hasn’t signed a true goal scorer. Loic Remy is great signing, but he is not the type of player who can score 15 goals in a season. The team will not be fighting for survival, but bottom table finish is a reality.
Our tip: Nice to achieve bottom table finish
Odds
Bookmaker: Bet365
CL
CLQ
UEFA
RELEG