Niels Nkounkou

Following his move to Nice, Nkounkou's current-season form is level with last season (Season 8→8), while his Rating held around 66. His peak season for form remains 2021/22 (Season 25).

Domestic career

Season	Club	Apps	G	A	Match	RTG	Season
2026/27	NiceLoan · 18th	2	0	0	6.54	66	8
2025/26	TorinoLoan · 12th	11	0	1	6.86	65	8
2025/26	Eintracht Frankfurt	1	0	0	8.9	—	—
2024/25	Eintracht Frankfurt · 3rd	27	0	0	6.73	67	8
2023/24	Eintracht Frankfurt · 6th	29	3	2	6.82	79	24
2023/24	Saint Etienne · 3rd	1	0	0	6.3	53	3
2022/23	Saint EtienneLoan · 8th	19	5	6	7.13	65	22
2022/23	CardiffLoan · 21st	19	0	1	6.66	60	16

Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year. 2 earlier seasons and 4 youth-team spells in the full career.

France · international

Side	Apps	G
France U23	1	0
France U21	3	0

Career caps & goals — tournament breakdown in the full career.

Scout report

Squad depthBall-winning Defensive midfielder

N. Nkounkou is a 25-year-old defensive midfielder at Torino, rated 63.6 overall by Field Insider's model. In his prime years, he has been a fringe squad member this season (10.6% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 6.23 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Nkounkou.

On the season, Nkounkou graded 8 for current form (age-blind), on 0 goals, 1 assist and 6.233 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's broadly in line with last season (Season 8 → 8). Over the 7 seasons on record his form has trended upward, peaking in 2021/22.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 64. At 25 Nkounkou is in his prime years, and a market index of 39.4 reflects that trajectory.

From the career report

Read the full career report →

Past his 2021/22 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.

Peak: 2021/22Trending downStepped up 2023/24Injury-hit 2025/266 clubs

63.6

Ratingi

a strong, regular top-tier starter

8.1

Seasoni

below regular-starter level

10.6%

Minutes

limited game time

6.23

Def. actions / 90

high defensive volume

Output in context · Torino finished 12th of 20 · a mid-table side

Apps

6.23

Def. / 90

Tackles

Interceptions

Clean sheets

6.23 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — high defensive volume, with 1 clean sheet across 11 appearances. Going forward he chipped in 0 goals and 1 assist — a useful bonus from the back.

Strengths

Attacking threat. Chips in from deep: 0.25 goal involvements per 90, useful for a defensive midfielder.
Defensive volume. 6.23 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.

Watch points

Game time. Only 10.6% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.

Outlook

Rated 63.6 overall — a strong, regular top-tier starter. Defensively he reads as high defensive volume (6.23 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90), with a bit more on the ball than most in the role. Approaching peak years; value is still building (price multiplier 2×) with the best seasons likely ahead.

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Per 90 & availability

Minutes played %10.6%

Available fixtures38 of 38

Goals / 900

Assists / 900.249

Goal contribution / 900.249

Defensive actions / 906.233

Player flow

Goal involvements1

Cards / 900.748

Season-by-season progression

Rating (potential)Season (form)

Value & potential by age

Market valueRating

Solid = now · dashed = projected

The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around age 25 (~39), then tapers with age. At 25, Nkounkou sits on 39.4, at or near its peak. The blue line is Nkounkou's projected Rating — 63.6 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.

Season statistics

Bars = where he ranks among defensive midfielders in the Ligue 1 with 600+ minutes this season.

Shooting

Goals0—

Passing

Assists1—

Defending

Tackles16—

Interceptions8—

Blocks1—

Yellow/red cards

Yellow cards3

Red cards0

Transfer history

€9.8M total transfer fees · 10 moves

Nice(on loan)Aug 2026 – now

Eintracht Frankfurt(back from loan)Jun 2026 – Aug 2026

Torino(on loan)Sept 2025 – Jun 2026

Eintracht Frankfurtuntil Sept 2025

Saint EtienneJul 2023 – Sept 2025€ 2M

Evertonuntil Jul 2023

Eintracht FrankfurtSept 2023 – Jul 2023€ 7.5M

Saint Etienne(on loan)Jan 2023 – Sept 2023

Cardiff(on loan)Aug 2022 – Jan 2023

Everton(back from loan)Jul 2022 – Aug 2022

Standard Liege(on loan)Aug 2021 – Jul 2022

EvertonJul 2020 – Aug 2021€ 270K

Marseilleuntil Jul 2020

About N. Nkounkou

Niels Patrick Nkounkou is a 25-year-old defensive midfielder who plays for Nice, born on November 1, 2000 in Pontoise, standing 184 cm tall. He is from France. Nice currently sit 18th of 18 in the Ligue 1.

This season

In the current season, N. Nkounkou has made 2 appearances with 0 goals and 0 assists across 145 minutes, averaging a 6.47 match rating over his last 2 rated games.

Recent matches

September 12, 2026: 0-1 loss away at Auxerre (72 minutes, 6.17 rating)
September 5, 2026: 1-1 draw at home vs Le Mans (73 minutes, 6.76 rating)

N. Nkounkou's next match is on September 20, 2026, when Nice face Lille at home in the Ligue 1.

Field Insider's view

Field Insider currently rates N. Nkounkou at 63.6 with a Season form score of 8.1. See the full scout report for strengths, watch-points and the market-value outlook.

His honours include 2 career titles — among them the Florida Cup. Full list in the career record.

Career

Across 10 recorded seasons, N. Nkounkou has totalled 182 club appearances with 12 goals and 10 assists for 9 different clubs. His busiest campaign came in 2023/24, with 29 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt.

N. Nkounkou's career has also included time at Eintracht Frankfurt, Torino, Saint Etienne, Everton, Cardiff, Standard Liege and Marseille.

On the international stage, N. Nkounkou has represented France U23 and France U21 — 4 caps in our records.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.