Ex-Arsenal scout Grimandi appointed Nice technical director

Former Arsenal scout and defender Gilles Grimandi has been appointed Nice’s technical director, the French club announced on Tuesday. Grimandi, 48, will rejoin ex-Gunners teammate Patrick Vieira who is the Ligue 1 outfit’s coach, after the pair played together for five seasons in north London. The Frenchman’s arrival at the Allianz Riviera will comfort Vieira after the pair responsible for bringing him to the French south coast, Jean-Pierre Rivere and Julien Fournier left their roles in January due to a disagreement with the club’s Chinese-American majority owners. Vieira has a release clause in his contract as boss which allows him to leave his position if the club’s executive board changes.