Meet Nice's New Faces
Kevin Carlos: Physical and Ambitious
Kevin Carlos, 24, stands 1.86 meters tall and weighs an impressive 96 kilos. This former athlete trained at Spanish side Huesca makes no secret of it. "I'm a very powerful striker, strong in the air and in the box," he explains. "I like to press the opponent, attack the opposing defense to make them lose their way."
He is a player who appreciates the physicality of Romelu Lukaku, adores Sergio Agüero's fighting spirit and defensive workrate, and saw his career take off in Switzerland after a successful loan spell at Yverdon.
"At Huesca, my lifelong club, I saw that I wasn't going to get many minutes, so I decided to go abroad." At 22, his gamble paid off. During the 2023/2024 season, he scored 14 goals in 34 league matches, and giants FC Basel signed him. Here again, his statistics (15 goals in 39 matches) allowed him to achieve the league and cup double and attract considerable attention, and Les Aiglons invested in him with a five-year contract.
"For me, this is just the beginning," says this son of Nigerian immigrants, "who came looking for a better life." Born in Ceuta, he holds dual Spanish-Nigerian nationality and insists: "I haven't gotten started yet. I want to have a long career, to show off, to be a striker that people remember. I work very hard because I want to go very far. I'm not satisfied with signing a contract. If you settle for what you have, you'll fall."
He has already made three appearances for OGC Nice in Ligue 1 McDonald's. While he hasn't scored, he was involved in Akpa's (AJA) own goal in a win at the Allianz Riviera (3-1) in late August.
Debut night for Charles and Tiago 🔝#ogcnfcn pic.twitter.com/m6pIW941qF
— OGC Nice 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@ogcnice_eng) September 14, 2025
Gouveia: Ready to fly
Tiago Gouveia, 24, started playing soccer at around 10 years old. "It was late," he admits. But at Sporting Portugal's academy, then at 16, at Benfica, "because the structure was better," he quickly rose through the ranks to the first team, playing in the last Club World Cup in the United States, and for the Portuguese U21 national team.
Last season, the Portuguese player underwent knee surgery and suffered a shoulder injury. This ruined most of his season, until March. "It slowed my progress. But since April, I've been very good physically and mentally," he says in near-perfect French, learned at school and in Toulouse.
He has made 40 appearances for Benfica and 30 with fellow Portuguese side Estoril, where he was on loan as he, "didn't get enough playing time at Benfica." "I left because I want to play more," he explains. "Here, the demands are high, and I'm used to it. It suits me. There's a lot of quality, and we're aiming for the Top 7."
PSG's João Neves convinced him of the quality of the league and the club. His loan comes with an option to buy. But he insists he "doesn't want to think about it; I want to enjoy myself, be myself."
A warm welcome for our new signings! Thank you all for coming ❤
⭢ Place Rossettipic.twitter.com/kWztJKUMHG— OGC Nice 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@ogcnice_eng) September 17, 2025
Vanhoutte: A born fighter
Charles Vanhoutte just turned 27 on September 16, having celebrated by becoming a Belgian international a few days ago against Kazakhstan (6-0). A consistent performer last season with Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise, he caught the eye of Franck Haise and Florian Maurice during their Europa League clash with Nice in December.
A central midfielder with a very defensive profile, he is a de facto replacement for Pablo Rosario. Experienced (146 matches in the Belgian top flight 20 European matches), he is not a gamble but a player who has the ambition to play in the World Cup with the Belgian national team at the end of the season.
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