Cardiff City and Watford target Adrien Tameze insists the reason he did not move in the January transfer window was because he wanted to see out the season at Nice, combined with his good relationship with Patrick Vieira.
The defensive midfielder has impressed with his performances under Vieira on the French south coast and was in-demand in the window.
Premier League pair Cardiff and Watford were keen, and although Tameze admits it is pleasing to know he is on the radar of other clubs, he was keen to see out the campaign with Nice.
He told French daily the Nice-Matin: "I did not expect that [such interest]. It surprised me that it happened so early.
"It is nice to know I am being followed, but I wanted to have a full season with Nice."
The midfielder also admitted that his relationship with coach Vieria played a big role.
"I was not sure of finding such a good relationship with a coach elsewhere", he added.
Tameze has been handed regular game time by Vieira this season, clocking nearly 2,000 minutes of action across 23 Ligue 1 matches.
The French side have the 25-year-old under contract until the summer of 2021, but the jury is out on whether Tameze will see out his deal, given the interest in his services.
