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OGC Nice manager Lucien Favre claims he is 'very satisfied' with former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley following the Englishman's debut for the Ligue 1 outfit on Sunday (September 11).
Barkley joined Nice at the beginning of September after his contract was terminated by the Blues as he was deemed surplus to requirements. He decided to move to France and join several other ex-Premier League stars, including Kasper Schmeichel and Nicolas Pepe.
Barkley made his debut for Nice against Ajaccio and Favre was impressed with the midfielder as he has barely played in recent times. The Swiss boss stated after the game (as per Maxi Foot):
“He came back well. Intelligence of the game, shot from the left on the post. He played 9 and a half, false attacker. He can play several positions, which suits us. I am very, very satisfied. He played half an hour, it’s not a lot, but he didn’t play much last season."
"He still trained with Chelsea, he is partly ready, but not ready 100%. Far from it. He needs weeks of training to claim to play 90 minutes. But we saw that he was a footballer.”
Barkley moved to Chelsea in 2017 from Everton and scored 12 times in 100 appearances. Last season was a difficult one for Barkley as he only played on 14 occasions across all competitions.
Ross Barkley reveals why he left Chelsea to join former Premier League stars at OGC Nice
Barkley was one of a number of former England internationals to go abroad this summer in search of first-team opportunities. Dele Alli moved to Besiktas on loan while Harry Winks made the switch from Tottenham to Sampdoria.
The former Chelsea midfielder has revealed that conversations with former Team GB cycling chief Sir Dave Brailsford helped influence his decision. He also chatted to club owner and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. Barkley stated (as per talkSPORT):
“Nice is an ambitious club. Nice are a big club with a big history, that has won titles, that has qualified for European football numerous times in the past seasons, and that was a finalist in last year’s Coupe de France. There is also a super, passionate fanbase. I am very excited to play here."
"They presented me with a project over multiple years. It is a club that wants to go far, that wants to be a big club at a European level. I managed to speak with Dave Brailsford, who showed me the growth project at the club. Jim Ratcliffe also convinced me to come here to help the team progress.”
