Kasper Schmeichel’s former Nice boss opens up on terminating his contract before shock Anderlecht transfer
FORMER Nice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s ex-boss Florent Ghisolfi has opened up on terminating his contract on deadline day.
The 36-year-old managed to sign for Belgian side RSC Anderlecht right before the transfer window closed.
The Leicester legend was left unemployed after he and Nice agreed to rip up his contract with hours remaining of the transfer window.
And it did not take him long to find a new club as Anderlecht have signed Schmeichel on a one-year contract that will see him at the club until June 2024.
Schmeichel had been left out of the matchday squad for Nice in every game so far this season and it was clear his future no longer lay with The Eaglets.
The Danish shot-stopper joined the Ligue 1 side last season and made 36 appearances, keeping clean sheets in 11 of them.
Nice’s sporting director Ghisolfi has revealed to Nice Matin why the shot-stopper left the French giants.
He said: “He looked for a club for a long time. But the idea of terminating the contract had not crossed mind.
“Things accelerated the evening before the end of the transfer window.
“We decided to release him so that he could remain a free player on the market and commit elsewhere.
“It happened in the last moments because this outcome was not possible for him at the start of the window.”
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Schmeichel has taken a huge pay cut with his new club Anderlecht – 26 times less than what he earned during his Leicester days.
Schmeichel said: “Anderlecht is just a massive club and former teammates from different places have always talked so highly and warmly of this place.
“It was something that I really wanted to become part of.
“After speaking with chief executive Jesper Fredberg and manager Brian Riemer, I was very excited about the project that they’re putting in place.”
Fredberg was excited to bring in the 479-cap Leicester star to the Belgian Pro League.
He said: “Although we are happy with the current squad, this was an exceptional opportunity to bring in a goalkeeper with so much experience and know-how.
“The signing of Kasper Schmeichel fits our desire to have top competition in all positions.
“Kasper can be of enormous value to this club with his experience, on and off the pitch.”