Johann Louvel joins OGC Nice as coach of the reserve team, succeeding Manuel Pires, who will now devote himself fully to his position as director of the youth academy. 

As part of the structuring of its training centre, OGC Nice welcomes a new but experienced coach. 

"The objective is to take our youth academy to the next level," explained Manu Pirès, who until now managed the reserve team in addition to his duties as youth academy director. 

Johann Louvel, 43, began his career at Le Havre Athletic Football Club in 1995, where he trained Didier Digard and Kévin Anin and worked with Bruno Rohart (current coach of the OGC Nice U17s) and Nicolas Dehon (coach of the professional team's goalkeepers). 

After having coached the U17s and then the U19s of the club from Haute-Normandie, the educator was promoted to assistant coach of the professional team, who were crowned Ligue 2 champions (in 2008). Then returning to youth development, he managed the HAC reserve team before becoming director of the of the youth academy. 

After 22 years at HAC, he joined the prestigious Mohamed VI Academy in Morocco, where he headed up the youth academy before inking his deal with OGC Nice. 

"I am delighted to join OGC Nice, which is a prestigious club with an ambitious project," explained Louvel, who will be assisted by Cédric Varrault, who retains his position as deputy. "I have been very motivated by the idea of working with people who are both very competent and positive minded. It's a great context in which to do a good job. I hope to make my contribution by bringing as many players as possible to the professional team."

"I've known Johann since his debut at HAC, a high-performance youth academy that has produced some fine players," said Manu Pirès. "That's what we want to put in place here, with people who have a great capacity for work, a collective mindset and are focused exclusively on youth development."

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