Olivier Pantaloni has expressed his desire to help OGC Nice regain its former glory after being announced as the club's new manager. Pantaloni returns to Nice, where he spent three years of his career as a youth player, and replaces Claude Puel in charge of the team for the 2026-27 season. The 59-year-old joins a Nice side who managed to maintain their Ligue 1 position with difficulty last season after winning a relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne.
Pantaloni was previously in charge of Lorient, where he spent two years, managing to guide them to 10th place in the table, just nine points off the European positions. Under his direction, Lorient won 39 of 76 games (D17 L20), with a winning percentage of 51.3%. The coach was excited about the new challenge in his career.
"It's an immense source of pride for me to coach a club like OGC Nice," Pantaloni told the club's official website. "I am very happy to return to the south of France and to a club I know well, having played here for some time. I arrive at Nice with great humility, but also with great determination. I want to respect the club. I will instill the values that I consider important: humility, hard work, respect, determination and ambition. It is our responsibility to live up to the fans' expectations and restore OGC Nice to its former glory."
Olivier Pantaloni was considered to replace Pierre Sage at Lens, who has since made the switch to Crystal Palace. Nice have already started preparing moves for this summer, having already sold Jeremie Boga to Juventus after the Serie A giants made his loan move permanent, while Charles Vanhoutte is reportedly close to joining Feyenoord. Les Aiglons begin the new Ligue 1 season against Pantaloni's former team Lorient on the weekend of August 22-23.