Francesco Farioli in pole position to become Nice manager

Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri is reporting that Francesco Farioli is now in pole position to succeed Didier Digard as manager of OGC Nice. 

Digard took over from Lucien Favre at Nice in January, but it wasn’t expected that the former Aiglons player would keep the job heading into the 2023/24 season. Le Gym’s search for a new manager has been long and has been marked by internal power struggles at the club regarding the right candidate. Notably, INEOS’ Dave Brailsford was pushing for the arrival of former Chelsea manager Graham Potter, as revealed by Get French Football News, but his waning influence at the club saw that option fall by the wayside. 

Régis Le Bris then became a favourite for the role, but FC Lorient have thus far been reticent to releasing their manager. Nice-Matin revealed last week that the Frenchman was one of three candidates being considered. Marcelo Gallardo, who was close to taking the managerial position at Olympique de Marseille, and Karel Geraerts were the other two names that featured on the list. 

However, a new name has entered into the fray, according to Tavolieri. Italian manager Farioli, whose last job was as manager of Alanyaspor, is now in pole position. The 34-year-old has been in discussions with Le Gym since the start of last week. Just a week before the return for pre-season, Nice may finally have found their new manager. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle