Going from Lille, champion of France, to Nice, whose last season was complicated, “it may surprise”, recognizes Christophe Galtier. But the new coach of the Aiglons is sure of his blow. Among other projects that we were able to offer him, that of Ineos, an English chemical giant and owner of OGC Nice, was the right one.
“It is the one who could correspond to me in relation to what I know how to do, to what I want to do”, he explained to the press on Tuesday, the day after the officialization of his arrival on the Coast. d’Azur after long negotiations with the Losc.
“It is not the money” which attracted him to Nice, he also wanted to rectify just after a first training session gently with some of the players. “Otherwise I will no longer be in Europe. “It is therefore” the ambition “of the club, which dreams” of participating regularly in European competitions and being competitive there “, which seduced the former 52-year-old defender, in search, after the coronation of Losc, of a new challenge. “If I’m here, it’s to achieve high goals with OGC Nice,” he said.
“At the top of the table”
“He is the type of coach who likes to start low to go high,” commented Julien Fournier, director of football at the Gym. “We were in contact even before he joined Lille I think, but I think he arrives with us at the right time. We are coming out of a complicated season and now is the right time, ”repeated the latter.
But cautious, neither he, nor the president of the club Jean-Pierre Rivère and even less Christophe Galtier risked posting a “specific objective”. “The idea is obviously to go play at the top of the Ligue 1 table, but it takes time. We are in a long-term project, ”said the boss of the Gym, recalling that the new coach had signed up for several seasons. Three a priori.
“We are far from starting with a blank page”
Arrived with, in his luggage, Thierry Olekziak, ” [son] loyal assistant for seven seasons ”, and Eduardo Parra, the physical trainer with whom he worked for two years at Losc, Christophe Galtier has only started to take his marks. “It is far too early to make choices on the workforce that I have not yet seen in full,” he explained. Twenty-five footballers, including ten young people, were present on Tuesday. Dante, Nsoki and Maolida have returned after recovering from varying degrees of recovery. The internationals Gouiri, Daniliuc, Atal, Boudaoui, Boulhendi and Kamara will return between June 30 and July 5. Halted by a fibula fracture on May 16, midfielder Claude-Maurice will resume work on Wednesday.
“But we are far from starting from a blank page,” he said. Nice brought in young players with great potential ”. And despite the late officialization of the appointment of the new coach, the Gym “has not taken any delays in these new recruitments”, according to Julien Fournier. Latest announcement: the final transfer of French defender Jean-Clair Todibo from FC Barcelona.
With the rapid elimination of “the Europa League, injuries, and the combination of circumstances, last season was difficult for Nice,” remembers Christophe Galtier. “But we are not starting from zero”, he repeated, well aware of being eagerly awaited by the supporters of Nice. “I am very happy, very proud and very impatient to meet them, it is very sincere,” he said. And I will ensure that their team evolves with a lot of energy ”. A first preparation match is scheduled for Saturday behind closed doors against Rodez (L2).