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Nice ‘frustrated’ with keeper Kasper Schmeichel after his entourage ‘went above 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 11 years at Leicester
- His entourage has reportedly asked the club’s owners to start the first game
- The request was not granted by Lucien Favre who went with Marcin Bulka
- There were also further concerns about his punctuality and fitness
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Nice got off to a poor start to the season and reports in France have suggested former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is part of the problem.
The Danish international joined Ligue 1 in the summer after 11 years with the Foxes – a key role in their 2015-16 Premier League title-winning campaign.
RMC Sports have reported, however, that his start in France has not gone well, with frustrations at the 35-year-old starting before his first match.
Kasper Schmeichel has been blamed for being a factor for Nice’s poor start to the season, with concerns over the ‘punctuality and fitness’ of the former Leicester goalkeeper.
It is alleged that Schmeichel’s entourage went above manager Lucien Favre by asking INEOS owner Jim Ratcliffe, who controls the club, if the keeper can start the first game of the season against Toulouse.
It turned out to be a request that Favre did not comply with as the Swiss coach instead opted for Polish shot-stopper Marcin Bulka, who is also on loan from Paris Saint-Germain at the club.
The report adds that Schmeichel does not follow team rules, such as meeting times or rest days required by the club.
His entourage is said to have asked owner Jim Ratcliffe if he could start the first game of the season
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 their recent defeat to Angers
While the veteran goalkeeper also reportedly arrived this summer with a ‘very high’ body fat percentage.
After missing the first match against Toulouse, he started the next six matches – a series of matches in which Nice won two matches.
He was then dropped by Favre for the 1-0 defeat to Angers in a match that saw Bulka rejoin the team.
Schmeichel and Aaron Ramsey (second from right) were among a number of former Premier League players to join the French side – Favre said he was unhappy about his signings
Favre’s (pictured) managerial position is at risk with Mauricio Pochettino linked for the role
Favre, who only joined the club in the summer, now sees his job on the line, with former Tottenham and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino a strong contender to take on the role.
As reported by Sportsmail, Favre was not happy that the French side had signed a collection of Premier League dropouts over the summer.
In addition to Schmeichel, Ross Barkley and Aaron Ramsey were transferred for free, while Nicolas Pepe, Mads Bech Sorensen and Joe Bryan were hired from Arsenal, Brentford and Fulham respectively.