As West Ham United throw open the doors for a new director of football, over in France, Florian Maurice is coming under considerable scrutiny in his role as Nice’s sporting director.
Europa League regulars Nice are in real danger of relegation from France’s top flight.
As West Ham United reel in Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest and Leeds at the bottom of the Premier League, Nice are only five points above Auxerre in the Ligue 1 relegation play-off spot.
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At the London Stadium, vice-chair Karren Brady recently announced plans for a director of football to arrive. At the Allianz Riviera, meanwhile, Florian Maurice is highlighting the unique challenges of such a role, using the £36 million sale of Jean-Clair Todibo to West Ham as a defence for the criticism coming his way.
Nice director justifies selling Jean-Clair Todibo to West Ham United
“I bear some responsibility for what happened, of course. I’m well aware that I may have made mistakes, but I don’t take full responsibility,” Maurice tells L’Equipe. “Since I started working in recruitment in 2009, I’ve never been 100 per cent [correct]. That doesn’t exist.
“I contributed to selling [Todibo and co] for a good price.”
West Ham beat Juventus to the signing of Todibo, initially on loan and then on a permanent basis in the summer of 2025. The former Barcelona youngster is the most expensive sale in Nice’s history, ahead of Juventus playmaker Khephren Thuram and Crystal Palace forward Evann Guessand.
In a previous interview, Maurice admitted that Todibo ‘had to leave’, insisting that such a sale was ‘the reality of a club like Nice today’.
Moise Bombito was brought in from Colorado Rapids to act as a replacement. Bombito has been limited to only two Ligue 1 appearances during a miserable 2025/26 campaign, however, partly due to a leg fracture.
Per The Guardian, Maurice was among those attacked by a group of furious supporters outside the Nice training ground earlier in the campaign. As strained as the relations are between the West Ham fans and the board, things have never looked in danger of becoming quite this toxic.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe making no secret of the fact that his focus is on Manchester United these days, The Eagles feel very much like the tired old mule of the Ineos stable.
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Nuno Espirito Santo lost Todibo for Aston Villa defeat
Todibo was forced to miss Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa, meanwhile, after picking up an injury in the warm up. Freddie Potts struggled in his absence, that late blow forcing a speedy change of shape as Nuno Espirito Santo reverted back to a four-man defence in Todibo’s absence.
Speaking following a result which saw the Hammers fail to leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur, Konstantinos Mavropanos admitted that losing Todibo was a blow on the eve of an already difficult away trip.
“It was a big moment for JC but, at the same time, we have been working with four at the back in the last couple of weeks as well,” Mavropanos explained.
“It was a little bit frustrating because we were planning the game with three [central defenders], but on the other side, I think we have played really good teams before with four at the back.”
Nuno will be hoping that both Todibo and Crysencio Summerville are passed fit to take on Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-finals after the international break.
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