OGC Nice sporting director Florent Ghisolfi has branded Hugo Lloris’ (36) touted, but failed return to his former club as an “agent manoeuvre.”
It was reported by The Telegraph’s Matt Law that Nice tried to bring Lloris back to the club on transfer deadline day. France’s most-capped player had already rejected moves to Lazio and Newcastle United in the summer and then proceeded to reject his formative club in the dying hours of the window.
In the name of “transparency,” Lloris spoke to Nice-Matin to clarify the situation. “I want to clear up the ambiguity surrounding the events of the past hours. Yesterday, an hour before the end of the window, I received a call from an agent, who evoked the possibility of joining OGC Nice. Playing prospects and the sporting project, the real motors behind a player’s decision, much more so than financial conditions, weren’t clearly broached. My professional journey has shown that exchange, sharing and collective growth have always forged my decisions, even more so when it’s about coming back to the club that trained me. The supporters and the team deserve better than a split-second decision based on a phone call without expectations or a clear sporting project with one hour until the closure of the window at a time where I wasn’t expecting it,” said Lloris.
Ghisolfi has now addressed the situation through an official press release, clarifying that Lloris’ return was never on the cards. “It’s an agent manoeuvre that blew this whole story out of proportion, whilst us, at the club, never envisaged the possibility of bringing Lloris back as a number two, out of respect for his sporting status, but also in regards to the financial means that we can designate to this position,” began Nice’s sporting director.
He continued, “In the end, no one from OGC Nice spoke with Hugo, because we never thought his return was possible on the conditions that we could offer him. There were no negotiations between the parties, Hugo therefore couldn’t have refused Nice, just as we can’t say that Nice missed out on or refused to bring Hugo Lloris back to the club.”
Whilst, according to Ghisolfi, Lloris was never a candidate for the number two role at Nice, the club are nonetheless in the market for a backup goalkeeper. Marcin Bulka beat Kasper Schmeichel in the battle to become number one, and subsequently, the latter saw his contract with Les Aiglons terminated by mutual consent on deadline day. L’Équipe are reporting that the option to bring former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu to the club is currently being explored.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle