The Gym's first summer signing, Morgan Sanson was officially presented to the press on Friday afternoon.

Morgan, what convinced you about the club's approach?

The key word was ambition. I've come here full of ambition and the club is doing everything it can to continue to grow. There are good facilities and competent people, a sporting director and a new coach who brings a fresh approach and a new philosophy to the game. All these factors led me to choose OGC Nice.

How are you feeling physically after starting your preparations with Aston Villa? Can you tell us about your loan spell at Strasbourg last year? You were one of the main architects of the club's survival...

I'm feeling really good. I started my preparations with Aston Villa like a normal player, even though I knew I was going to leave. I worked a lot on the physical side of things so that I'd be ready for my new club. I feel good, 100% physically and mentally, with a lot of energy and the desire to build on my six months at Strasbourg.

I'd like to thank Strasbourg for allowing me to return to the top of the game. Six months ago I was at rock bottom and few teams believed in me. When I see that it has paid off and that I have been rewarded by signing for OGC Nice, I can only thank them.

"GIVE BACK THE CONFIDENCE THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME".

Did you have any contact with the coach before you signed? How does he plan to use you?

Talking to the coach was one of the factors in my decision. We had a very productive call and he explained his vision to me. I saw that he was a coach with real ambitions and a real game plan, with a very precise philosophy. In just a few training sessions, I felt that he knew where he wanted to go. He brings a lot of clarity to the game, everything is fluid and precise. It was a call that meant a lot to me. I really got a great feeling from both the coach and Flo (Ghisolfi). All that helped me make a clear choice in my head and in a few weeks it was settled.

What will you bring to OGC Nice?

I've been in Ligue 1 for a number of years now. At 28, I'm starting to have a fair bit of experience. I've played for a variety of clubs, and I've had experience abroad that has given me a lot and helped me mature. Over the last six months, I've felt that I still wanted to go far and have a lot of ambition.

Today, I bring my experience but also my desire to play in Europe again. My personal goal is to get OGC Nice back into Europe, as the club has done in recent years, and to perform as well as possible as quickly as possible. I want to make everyone proud and restore the confidence that was given to me.

You've played against OGC Nice several times with Montpellier and Marseille, in some pretty heated derbies. What do you think of the club? Have you asked some former players like Anthony Mounier for advice?

Games in the south are always high-stakes, high-pressure encounters, but they're games that you love to play as a footballer. I loved playing against Nice, whether it was with Montpellier or Marseille. There's a special rivalry and these are matches that count. Of course I asked around, but I already knew what it was like to play at the Allianz Riviera.

I had some outside opinions, from Anthony Mounier and Valère Germain, who had been here and who gave me a different view of the club. They said 'go for it'.

---