Nice have announced that Gilles Grimandi has joined the club as their new Technical Director.

The former Gunner was previously our chief scout in France, and presided over a period in which our signings from there were hit and miss. Laurent Koscielny was a big success, Olivier Giroud did well, but Yaya Sanogo not so much. And during a time in which a fantastic generation of French talent emerged, we didn’t seem to be close to signing any of them.

Grimandi will link up with his ex-teammate Patrick Vieira, and he told their official website, “I consider joining OGC Nice as a chance. After 20 years at Arsenal, I’m happy to be back in France, in a project that reminds me of my first years in England.

“I am obviously delighted that our paths cross again [re: Vieira]. But I would not like shortcuts to be made, that we imagine that I decided on a whim just because Patrick was in Nice.

“I’m coming for the club project. It is an ambitious club, with solid bases and whose membership has a real potential that we will have to complete and perfect .

“I will settle in Nice every day at the end of the month, but I am already at work, motivated by a great motivation to show me worthy of the trust given to me.”

There’s nothing more motivating that motivation, that’s for sure, and we assume this now leaves us requiring somebody else to head up the scouting operation in France.

Given that we have yet to announce the replacement for Sven Mislintat, or a Head of Scouting, that might be something that happens a bit further down the road.

Anyway, good luck to Gilles at his new club.