Nice “frustrated” with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after his entourage “went over manager Lucien Favre and asked owner Jim Ratcliffe to start first game of the season”, with concerns over his “punctuality and fitness”.
- Kasper Schmeichel joined Nice in the summer after eleven years at Leicester
- His entourage reportedly asked the club’s owners that he start the first game
- The request was not followed by Lucien Favre, who went with Marcin Bulka
- There were also other concerns about his punctuality and fitness
Nice have suffered a poor start to the season and reports in France suggest former Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel is part of the problem.
The Denmark international joined the Ligue 1 side in the summer after 11 years with the Foxes – a key role in the 2015-16 Premier League title campaign.
However, RMC Sport have reported that his start in France has not gone well as the 35-year-old was frustrated ahead of his first game.
Kasper Schmeichel has been accused of being a factor in Nice’s poor start to the season as he had concerns about the former Leicester goalkeeper’s “punctuality and fitness”.
It is claimed that Schmeichel’s entourage went beyond manager Lucien Favre by asking INEOS owner Jim Ratcliffe, who controls the club, to ask the goalkeeper to start the first game of the season against Toulouse.
It appeared to be a request Favre didn’t comply with as the Switzerland coach instead opted for Poland goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, also on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
The report adds that Schmeichel does not abide by squad rules such as meeting times or rest days mandated by the club.
His entourage reportedly asked owner Jim Ratcliffe to start the first game of the season for him
However, Lucien Favre left Schmeichel on the bench for their first game against Toulouse before playing the next six games and being dropped again due to the recent defeat by Angers
The experienced goalkeeper is said to have arrived this summer with a “very high” body fat percentage.
After missing the first game against Toulouse, he started the next six games – a series of games in which Nice won two games.
He was then dropped by Favre for the 1-0 loss to Angers in a game that saw Bulka come back into the squad.
Schmeichel and Aaron Ramsey (second right) were among a number of former Premier League players to join the French side – with Favre reportedly unhappy at his signing
Favre’s (pictured) position as manager is in jeopardy with Mauricio Pochettino linked for the role
Favre, who only joined the club in the summer, now sees his job in jeopardy as former Tottenham and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino is a strong contender to take on the role.
As reported by Sportsmail, Favre was unhappy that the French side signed a convention of Premier League exits in the summer.
Alongside Schmeichel, Ross Barkley and Aaron Ramsey have been signed on free transfers, while Nicolas Pepe, Mads Bech Sorensen and Joe Bryan have been loaned out from Arsenal, Brentford and Fulham respectively.
