He is the flagship recruit of OGC Nice.
At the beginning of January, the Gym secured the services of Mohamed-Ali Cho by offering €12 million, including bonus, to Real Sociedad.
In the Basque Country, the talented French striker was chomping at the bit, between (multiple) injuries, limited playing time and mixed performances.
On the Côte d'Azur, he should have the opportunity to confirm his (beautiful promises) interviews from the time, in particular, when he wore the Angers SCO jersey.
From this Sunday evening, in the derby against AS Monaco, this Sunday evening (8:45 p.m.), at the end of the 21st day of Ligue 1?
This is what the Nice team must hope for.
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Different profile, promising player...A wise reinforcement
If the Aiglons went for “MAC”, it is for two main reasons.
First, it fills a gap.
Indeed, the current second in Ligue 1 (necessarily) needed to strengthen its attack - the worst among the first part of the table!
- with a striking profile, capable of making a difference in one-on-one situations, both in transition and on set plays.
“
Mohamed-Ali was our priority because he first met a sporting need.
We wanted to strengthen the workforce in the offensive positions.
The profile corresponded to what we were looking for, as a player and mentality
,” explained Florent Ghisolfi, the Nice sports director, a few days after his transfer was made official.
Secondly, its recruitment is also part of a medium (or long) term investment strategy.
“
He was at Real Sociedad, maybe the stage was a bit difficult for him.
We believe we are in the right place, at the right time, for him to express his full potential.
But you will have to have patience.
We will give him time to integrate,
Florent Ghisolfi indicated in mid-January.
He needs to continue training.
Our expectations as a club are not high to begin with.
He has nothing to prove: firstly, he must give what he can, we don't have huge expectations.
» But if his leaders are not (officially) putting any pressure on his shoulders, at least not yet, there are nevertheless “
a lot of expectations around him
”, as Francesco Farioli underlined when presenting him.
A trigger goal?
Upon arriving on the Côte d'Azur, Mohamed-Ali Cho warned that he needed "
time to adapt
".
And after five games played - three in Ligue 1 and two in the Coupe de France - we can say that he has acclimatized rather well to his new club, his new teammates and his new coach.
As proof, after having provided his first assist against the Girondins de Bordeaux on January 20 (2-3) in the Coupe de France, “MAC” scored his first goal against Montpellier Hérault SC last Wednesday (1-4), in the same competition.
This achievement could free him, he who has never been very decisive (2 goals and 3 assists in 40 appearances with Real Sociedad since his arrival in the summer of 2022).
“
For any striker, it’s always good to score.
Especially for me, who hadn’t scored for a while
,” he admitted after Nice’s victory.
This Sunday evening, against the Principality club, the ex-Angevin will have the opportunity to confirm his promising debut with OGC Nice.
Will he succeed?
Response late Sunday evening.