"It could have been a disaster": why Claude Puel opposed Hatem Ben Arfa's return to Nice last January

Puel rejected a proposal from Nice president Rivère to bring back Ben Arfa, 39, in January, citing concerns about the move.

OGC Nice considered re-signing Hatem Ben Arfa in January after president Jean-Pierre Rivère returned to the club in December 2025 to manage a crisis. Rivère, who had recently reappointed Claude Puel as manager, proposed bringing back the 39-year-old midfielder who had starred under Puel from 2012–2016, scoring 18 goals in 37 appearances that season. However, Puel opposed the idea, describing it as potentially "a horror". Ben Arfa, who has been without a club since leaving Lille in 2022, has not officially retired and currently plays competitive padel.