Nice seek to rediscover identity after gruelling season as Pantaloni targets fast start | OneFootball

OGC Nice opened pre-season with a reset in mind, the club’s new leadership setting out a season built on identity and pragmatism after staying up via the play-offs last term. According to L'Équipe, budget constraints frame the plan.

After a fraught year on and off the pitch, there was no talk of Europe. Cohen’s line was to try to assemble the best possible team and chase the best possible results without overpromising.

The finances are tight, with only €7m in TV money compared with €23m 17 years earlier, yet Ricort was unruffled. He spoke of necessary savings without lowering ambition, recalled 2002’s reliance on loans, and stressed belief in the collective. The aim is to be a normal club again, with a clear identity restored.

Pantaloni, also courted by Lens this summer, knows the task after a successful spell in the Morbihan with Lorient. His mission is to avoid a repeat of last season’s ordeal, settle minds and collect points quickly, starting well to keep late-season pressure in check. At Lorient, many players wanted to leave and it took time, now the group want Nice to rediscover its true colours.

Abergel will be involved, and Gauthier Hein of Metz could be one to watch, though arrivals depend on trimming first. Given the squad, Pantaloni is leaning towards a back three and has roughly six weeks to prepare. The league restarts on 22 August against Lorient behind closed doors, and the squad may evolve before then.

Source: L'Équipe