There was a first wave of announcements, at the beginning of June, on the outlines of the squad for next season with five departures and three arrivals. There were also confirmations of contract extensions for five players (Fabien Bondron, Quentin Moretto, Titouan Lhériau, Pierre Cellerier, Yassin Debache) and that of coach Laurent Hay.
Since then, the leaders of AS Niort have been working to finalize the squad for next season, with president Ludovic Bourguignon in the lead. “We wanted to take our time, not rush. There is an increasing gap between the economic realities of our clubs and the demands of player agents. We had to seize the opportunities that presented themselves to us”, explains the president. Two new players will join the Ducks group.
First up, American Ringo Dau, 25, from Minnesota, who plays in the 2/3 positions. He comes from Norway, after a great career in Ireland and Iceland. “We had been in contact for three weeks. He is a player who already has experience, a good mid-range shooter, explains Ludovic Bourguignon. Laurent (Hay) has already been able to speak with his coach in Norway. In addition to his sporting qualities, Ringo Dau has the human qualities to integrate into the team and the club. »
A young person from Nanterre as reinforcement
Finally, AS Niort, which has since recorded the departure of its captain Damien Gara, has added another player to Laurent Hay’s squad with the young Rollings Kamanda, 21, who came from the Nanterre Espoirs and passed through the ASVEL training center. At 2.04 m, he will complete the interior sector. The opportunity presented itself to recruit him, these are young players who have gone through professional team training centers and who come to seek experience. He will bring us his dynamism”says Ludovic Bourguignon.
Now, everyone has a date on August 5, in the Barra room, for the restart. Four or five friendlies will be on the menu between now and the start of the championship with the objective of course displayed “not to relive the same season”, concedes the president. The AS Niort players flirted with the red zone for a long time, only achieving their salvation in the final sprint, two days from the end: “We are going to aim for the first part of the table ».
