Immediate foreign manager of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, believed the transfer of Terem Moffi from FC Lorient to OGC Nice would fast-track the progress of the Nigerian as one of the best strikers in the world.
On Tuesday, Les Aiglons (The Eaglets) as Nice are so-called confirmed that the French Ligue 1’s second-best goalscorer this season has put pen to paper over a five-and-a-half-year deal.
With Lorient, Moffi scored 35 goals in all 90 appearances. This season, only PSG’s French international striker Kylian Mbappe (24) scored more goals than him.
“I’m happy for Moffi because he’s doing a wonderful season and because he’s going to my former club which is Nice,” the 69-year-old Rohr who coached Nice between 2002 and 2005, told NationSport exclusively.
“In fact, some people from Nice asked me about him (Moffi) before doing the transfer and he really deserves this transfer for all his qualities.”
The former German defender, who handed Moffi his first international cap in an international friendly against Cameroon in 2021, underlined some of the qualities that must have endeared the 23-year-old to Nice, adding that the player worth the record €30m Euros paid to drag him to Allianz Riviera.
“Moffi is a powerful, quick, very realistic striker, good with the head and wonderful shooting,” the German who coached clutches of other French clubs including Bordeaux and Nice, further said. “The €30m Euros paid by Nice to get Moffi from Lorient is good for him because he is still young.”
He added: “I’m very sure that he will progress in this wonderful environment in Nice because this is one of the best clubs in France now.
“The city also has very good weather with good conditions throughout the year; not so much cold or rain which is good for an African player.”
Meanwhile, the powerful striker will wear jersey number nine with the Didier Digard-led side and will be available for selection on Sunday as Nice visit third-placed Marseille for a high-stakes Ligue 1 game.
The deal between the Nice and Lorient is, reportedly, not a straight transfer but a mandatory, paid loan of €2.5m with a €22.5m (plus €5m bonus) obligation to buy the Nigerian international striker. Lorient have also secured a 15% percentage in any future sale.
Credit: punchng.com
