Bought by Ineos, which aims to develop as a group that counts in the world of football – with a possible takeover of Manchester United -, Nice was already one of the most structured clubs in France. It is still the L1 team that has the largest number of employees involved in recruitment. The goal is simple: get to observe as many players and matches as possible to get a global view of world markets. By always going there, unlike a club like Toulouse which does not move.
The arrival in October of Florent Ghisolfi as sports director made it possible to restore order in a mode of operation made complicated by the departure of Julien Fournier. Nice, which had ended up no longer relying at all on its recruitment cell, set out again on other bases. Last summer, recruitment led by Dave Brailsford and Iain Moody (external adviser) gave rise to some misunderstandings. Ghisolfi is now completing his audit and other changes in the way of recruiting could result from it.
“Scouts” divided by geographical areas
The former sports coordinator of Lens has already modified the functioning of the cell. Sébastien Squillaci has come to complete the team in place. The “scouts” are today scattered by geographical areas. Each recruiter takes care of several Championships and sends the information to the managers. These employees are free to manage their schedule, travel and chosen matches. They have, on the other hand, a big responsibility if a player passes below their radars.
Organization chart of OGC Nice. (Infographic The Team)
It’s different from the time of Julien Fournier, where recruiters mixed in similar areas. When a player was spotted, a second person would confirm the feeling of the first, and so on, until the decision-making of the managers and the sporting director. This made it possible to have several opinions on the same player, but had the disadvantage of having a lower level of information than a specialist in the area, as is the case at the moment.