Nice move for Mionnet

Mixed feelings
The 28-year-old has agreed a three-and-a-half year deal with Nice, the surprise team in France's top flight after their promotion last summer. While Mionnet will strengthen Nice's unlikely title challenge, it was with mixed feelings that the player severed his ties with a club he had served for six years.

'Torn about leaving'
Mionnet, who did not figure in Sedan coach Henri Stambouli's plans, said he accepted the move for the chance of first-team football. He told supporters after Wednesday's 1-1 home draw with AJ Ajaccio that he was "torn about leaving" the club, but insisted: "I had no choice if I wanted to play."

Pivotal player
Mionnet had been at Sedan since 1997 when the club was in the third tier of French football and played a major part in their rise up the league ladder, which culminated in a fifth-placed finish and UEFA Cup qualification in 2001.

Injury frustrations
He joined the club from RC Lens and went on to play 153 matches, scoring 40 goals. His contribution was curtailed last season by a serious knee injury, which kept him on the sidelines for several months.

'The coach trusts me'
Mionnet is the first winter signing by Nice, who are top of the league on goal difference from Olympique de Marseille. He said: "In Nice, there will be a coach [Gernot Rohr] and staff who trust me. Moreover, they have taken me on for three-and-a-half years, which is quite nice when you are 28."