PSG Algerian-Transfer Target Atal: I Want to be Better Every Game

Sought-after OGC Nice’s defender Youcef Atal is ardent on improving game after game as the Ligue 1 season goes.

The Algerian has become a mainstay in Nice’s left-back role, featuring regularly.

Fourteen starts in seventeen outings tell of an impressive showing prompting PSG’s inquiry over his availability this transfer window.

But the 22-year-old instead wants to improve each game as a form of reward to gaffer Patrick Vieira for his trust in him.

“I want to be better with the season. I set myself this goal and I work to achieve it. I try to improve my level every day. It’s my style of play. I like to give it all the time. It’s also a way to give the club the confidence it gave me,” he says, going into today’s Nice tie with tenth-placed Nimes.

Atal was not an instant hit when he joined from Belgian First Division A side Kortrijk KV on an undisclosed fee where he had hiccups to find minutes.

And asked how he’d adapted, he responded: “I was determined to adapt as soon as possible at Nice. Many people helped me as soon as I arrived, the club employees, the players, and the coach. This facilitated my (quick) integration (into the team). And then in Belgium, it was really cold. In Nice, it’s always nice, a time to play football, it’s really a good thing.”