The Sang et Or will lose their mentor.
True architect of the new formula RC Lens, Florent Ghisolfi, 37, was "chased out" by the duo Dave Brailsford - Fabrice Bocquet in order to compensate for the departure of Julien Fournier last summer.
In the transfer window, RC Lens had managed to retain Seko Fofana, its major player, but it will therefore now have to compose without Florent Ghisolfi, its sporting director, leaving for OGC Nice, as well as the announcement L'Equipe on Monday, information that we can confirm.
Bastiais, former midfielder, then assistant coach in Lorient (by Mickaël Landreau) and Reims, Ghisolfi notably collaborated with Bocquet, the general manager of Nice, at Les Merlus.
But it is within the Sang et Or since May 2019, in the function of sports director, that Ghisolfi has built the reputation which earned him to be poached by Ineos, the powerful group that owns Nice.
In Lens, Ghisolfi largely worked for the return of Racing to Ligue 1, then for two consecutive maintenances in the elite.
It is to him that the artesian club owes the choice of Franck Haise, a young trainer without a record, as coach.
With the latter, they have managed for two and a half years to establish a clear and attractive game, which they have regularly supplied with new elements, rarely making mistakes in their choices.
Sober but ambitious, the recruitment policy at Lens has worked wonders in recent seasons and has led Lens to play leading roles in Ligue 1 for the last two years, despite one of the four or five most modest budgets in the championship.
To his credit, Ghisolfi has many good shots from Seko Fofana to Jonathan Clauss (left for OM), via Loïc Badé (Rennes) or Cheick Doucouré (Crystal Palace).
Good shots that OGC Nice would like to see him reproduce on a larger scale on the Promenade des Anglais.
Simple resigner, without compensation, Ghisolfi should be hard at work in his new colors in the coming days.
