Football Season Guide

Nice continue to build a squad they hope can challenge for the Champions League and, after disappointing in the past couple of seasons, they will hope a fresh influx of talent will give them additional drive this time around. Perhaps the most addition they have made has come in the dugout, where head coach Christophe Galtier was belatedly secured from Lille, where he became a Ligue 1 champion. He is a manager who knows when it is right to be pragmatic but is capable of doing so in a balanced fashion. Equally, there has been a significant investment on the playing side of things, too. Nice have focused on young players who may well have sell-on value in the future but, with the likes of Calvin Stengs and Jean-Clair Todibo, the expectation is that these players are also capable of playing a successful role for Nice now. The defence will look very similar as it did last season, with Walter Benitez in goal. Although William Saliba has left after his loan expired, Dante has returned from injury to make up for that. Todibo, meanwhile, should be a starter. One player who may be less effective under Galtier is wing-back Youcef Atal, who is unlikely to slot as readily into the four-man defence that the former Lille boss prefers. Nice have ample depth in the centre of the midfield, particularly since Mario Lemina and Pablo Rosario have arrived to provide further options in a defensive sense. On the wings, meanwhile, they have great quality, too, with Justin Kluivert’s arrival from Roma particularly anticipated. Stengs, too, should be able to provide strong service. With Amine Gouiri having confirmed himself as one of Ligue 1’s young players to watch last term and Kasper Dolberg finding some form at Euro 2020 after an injury-hit season, things are looking up for Nice.