After Hatem Ben Arfa, can Claude Puel do the same with Elye Wahi at Nice? | OneFootball

Reviving Elye Wahi is among Claude Puel’s first tasks at Nice, a challenge that recalls his 2015-16 reboot of Hatem Ben Arfa. “Many told me he was unmanageable... When I spoke with Hatem, we only talked football and I saw a passionate guy,” Puel said in the Box to Box podcast.

Wahi scored on his debut against Strasbourg on three January in a 1-1 draw, impressing despite limited fitness. At Nantes in the Coupe de France last Saturday, it finished 1-1 then 5-3 on penalties, and after missing a spot-kick in play he converted in the shootout.

The 23-year-old centre forward is on loan until the end of the season. He arrives after difficult spells at OM and Eintracht Frankfurt, where Dino Toppmöller criticised his training levels before leaving him out.

Puel’s first Nice stint transformed Ben Arfa, who hit 17 Ligue 1 goals and earned a France recall three years after his previous cap. His debut had been delayed by the three-club rule, having featured for Hull City and Newcastle’s under-21s earlier that season.

Puel built a diamond midfield and gave his playmaker freedom, while demanding standards and no special treatment. Team-mates accepted extra defensive work because Ben Arfa decided matches, and Nice finished fourth.

Wahi is not Ben Arfa, and he arrives younger, yet former colleagues believe Puel’s methods could coax his best again. Vincent Koziello is convinced Wahi is in the right place and backs a revival at the Gym.

Source: L'Équipe