Europa League Conference – Nice – Cologne / A last minute transfer window and Lucien Favre finds himself in the fog

“Ross Barkley’s form? I can’t tell you, he came two days ago, he hasn’t played a full game since mid-July. It’s very difficult to say in what form it is. If it’s six or eight? I’ve been told, it’s more of an eight.” The words of Lucien Favre, accompanied by a slight grin, Wednesday in front of the press, speaks volumes. On the last minute transfer window made by OGC Nice, first. And, consequently, on the difficulty of the Swiss technician to read and organize his workforce at the start of the season, marked by one defeat, two draws and three defeats for the Aiglons in L1.

If the transfer market had officially opened its doors on June 10, that of the OGCN took time to settle. Christophe Galtier only joined PSG on July 4, with football director Julien Fournier stepping down two days later. And the Briton Iain Moody succeeded the latter as an external consultant, with an unflattering reputation and a label as a specialist in the English market.

“We went to get him at the last moment, we had to settle down, for him to understand what the coach wanted. It was really not an easy transfer window”, explained Jean-Pierre Rivère, president of the Gym, on the Gym Tonic program the day after the market closed. Words which, again, say a lot about the lack of benchmarks in this new-look organization chart. And which have been verified: the “last moment” was indeed the theme of the Nice transfer window.

12 recruits… half of them in the last week

Nice have registered 12 signings this summer. Half of these players arrived during the last week of the transfer window, including two on the last day (Laborde and Sorensen), and one after the closing, the famous Barkley. A market stamped last moment… and Premier League, since four players arrived directly from the English championship (Kasper Schmeichel, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Bryan, Mads Bech Sorensen), in addition to a Barkley landed free but who has spent his entire career there .

It is obviously too early to judge the recruits one by one, even if the Schmeichel case already raises questions in the goals, as overall this desire to go digging at all costs on the other side of the Channel, even if it means taking old veterans on the decline or non-starting players in clubs at the bottom of the table. On the other hand, the structure of the workforce raises questions. In defense, the positions are perfectly doubled. But in the middle, it’s more blurry.

Morgan Schneiderlin was never called up to the group, like Alexis Trouillet. Hicham Boudaoui made his first appearance on the bench on Sunday against Monaco, without playing. There remain Mario Lemina (suspended for three matches), Kephren Thuram, Alexis Beka Beka, Aaron Ramsey (injured for three weeks) and Ross Barkley, when he becomes available. Sofiane Diop enters the category of offensive players, like Rares Ilie, Nicolas Pépé, Andy Delort, Gaëtan Laborde, Billal Brahimi (not called up against Monaco), or even Lucas Da Cunha, whose transfer to Lorient was aborted for a few seconds , and the young Badredine Bouanani.

“It’s important to have some basics. Well, Ramsey won’t be here, he’ll be out for three weeks. But those were some interesting basicshe continued, referring to this system with three centrals and two defensive midfielders. Always stay positive. It is clear that this is a difficult time for everyone. The players, the coaches, etc… But I think it’s up to us to turn things around, no one else.”

Nice has time, Favre a little less

This will go through dialogue, of course, Andy Delort having insisted in front of the press on the need to play higher. But also by Favre’s ability to find the right formula with this workforce built partly in disaster, with at least one player whose arrival he had obviously not at all claimed.