Overview
- Axel Witsel has joined OGC Nice on a one-season contract with an option for a second year after being a free agent, and he is expected to be eligible for the Ligue 1 opener versus Lorient.
- Nice also completed the signing of Nathan Ngoumou on a two-year deal from Borussia Mönchengladbach after the 26-year-old’s progress was interrupted by an Achilles rupture in April 2025.
- The two additions respond directly to Laurent Abergel’s significant knee injury in preseason, which left Nice short on experienced midfield cover.
- Club management is actively working to reduce the squad size and wage bill by seeking to offload at least four players, including Terem Moffi and Salis Abdul Samed, who have been excluded from the first-team group.
- Nice hopes to finish recruitment by re-securing Elye Wahi on loan and expects the veteran presence of Witsel to steady the midfield while the club unsettles its roster ahead of the season.