Former France captain Patrick Vieira has been appointed the head coach of OGC Nice, the French football club announced on Monday, without revealing further details.
Nice will be Vieira’s first European experience as head coach, after spending his last few seasons leading New York City FC. He succeeds Lucien Favre, who joined German club Borussia Dortmund, reports Efe.
“I would like to thank City Football Group and New York City FC for the opportunity to have coached this tremendous football club,” he said in a statement as quoted by ESPNFC.
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“Leaving New York is an incredibly difficult decision for me and for my family and one that has not been taken lightly.
“From the beginning, City Football Group and its leadership, particularly our Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Brian Marwood, Ferran Soriano and Marty Edelman have believed in me and have helped guide me through the last eight years of my career — starting with my time as a player and ultimately culminating with my first opportunity to manage a first team.”
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The club’s president, Jean-Pierre Rivere, said they were looking for “a coach with the ability to continue to produce attractive football, to bring through youngsters by taking risks to help them grow, and someone who lives and breathes to win”.
Over the past few days, French media speculated on a contract linking Vieira with Nice for three years.
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He had also been linked with a deal to replace his countryman Arsene Wenger at Arsenal — a team Vieira played for between 1996 and 2005 — but the London club’s owners ultimately decided to hire Unai Emery of Spain.