This is taken from the GFFN 100, our leading 150-page FREE publication ranking the best 100 players in France, see the full list and read every profile right here.

Andy Delort has had a nomadic career, but looked to have finally settled at Montpellier, where he spent four seasons. However, he took the risk of upping sticks once again, moving up the Mediterranean coast to Nice. It was a risk that paid dividends, with the Algerian striker enjoying the most prolific Ligue 1 season of his career.

It wasn’t just the quantity of goals that Delort scored (16) that was important to Les Aiglons, but when he scored them. Nice’s drop off in the second half of the season was spectacular. From being arguably favourites for the second automatic Champions League spot in January, Christophe Galtier’s side were clinging onto the chance to feature in the Europa Conference League by May.

Delort dug his team out of a hole twice in the final few weeks of the season. Against Saint-Étienne in the penultimate home game, Nice found themselves two goals down to the relegation-threatened side at half-time. After Melvin Bard got one back, Delort netted a two minute brace to turn the tide of the match. Galtier’s side went on to win 4-2.

Largely thanks to Delort’s exploits, Nice’s battle to finish in the Europa Conference spot went to the final game of the season. However, Nice looked to have thrown away their second chance. With just 15 minutes left, Galtier’s side were 2-0 down but cometh the hour, cometh the man. Just as he did against Saint-Étienne, Delort proved the difference, this time scoring a seven-minute hat-trick to secure the win that sealed European qualification.

Simply put, Delort was the difference between (relative) success and failure for Nice last season. He has gone on to score five times already in Ligue 1 this season, but has been dogged by injury and fitness issues. When he is fully fit and firing, he will link up with former strike partner Gaëtan Laborde, with whom he worked at Montpellier. How the duo play in tandem this time around will dictate whether Nice make the leap up the Ligue 1 table that is needed to secure another European qualification.

Luke Entwistle | GFFN

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