Schmeichel leaves Nice team-mates furious with antics and 'lack of leadership'

22 May 2023 , 14:40

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Kasper Schmeichel in action for Nice earlier this season (Image: Getty Images)

Kasper Schmeichel could be set to leave Nice this summer after one year at the Ligue 1 outfit.

Schmeichel, 36, left Leicester at the end of last season and made the switch to the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-owned side in search of a new experience and challenge. The Denmark international made over 400 appearances for the Foxes and helped them win the Premier League and FA Cup during his time in charge.

However, it is safe to say Schmeichel's time at Nice hasn't gone to plan. Despite their spending spree last summer, Nice currently sit ninth and have nothing to play for. They crashed out of the Europa Conference League in the quarter-final and are nine points off the European places with two games to go.

Schmeichel's adaptation to life in France has not been straightforward and his team-mates have grown frustrated with his training methods. The ex-Foxes goalkeeper manages himself and prefers to run his own sessions, rather than join in with the rest of the squad, as he did at Leicester.

According to L'Equipe, his training schedule, coupled with a lack of leadership, are raising tensions at the club. His freedom has annoyed some of his team-mates, who are having to follow a strict routine. It is understood Schmeichel also fails to motivate the group despite his invaluable experience in the game.

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This is despite Schmeichel performing well all season in between the sticks. The Danish stopper has conceded a respectable 32 goals in 34 league appearances, keeping 11 clean sheets in the process. They have the second-meanest defensive record in Ligue 1, behind Lens and better than Paris Saint-Germain.

Kasper Schmeichel has conceded just 32 times in 34 matches this season (Getty Images)

But Schmeichel's future is firmly in doubt. His relationship with second-choice 'keeper Marcin Bulka has fractured, and one will not stay beyond the end of the season. Bulka has been absent since the end of October but is set to return to full fitness in pre-season.

Schmeichel has been linked with a shock return to Leicester. The Foxes have had their struggles in goal so far this season, with Danny Ward struggling after being handed the no.1 shirt by Brendan Rodgers. Meanwhile, Daniel Iversen has improved the defence since his introduction, but it may not be enough to save them.

Leicester head to Newcastle on Monday night in a critical game at both ends of the Premier League table. The Foxes sit three points from safety but a win will pull them out of the relegation zone on goal difference ahead of their final day home game against West Ham.

Speaking on Monday Night Football earlier this month, Schmeichel said: "I don’t think my chapter with Leicester will ever end. I still say we, the club will always be a part [of me].

"I came to Leicester as a young man needing a home and needing somewhere to be accepted for who I was and not for what everyone else thought I should be. Leicester gave me that, and even after 11 years there’s still something unwritten for me there."

Kieran King