The Centurions Narbonne will recruit a player with a sharp-attacking profile to compensate for the prolonged absence of the Mexican Josué Lopez Rios who is on the sidelines until the end of the season due to a serious knee injury (cartilage) .
The name of the player that the Centurions Narbonne are preparing to recruit has not yet been leaked. A virtual certainty: the club should formalize its signing at the start of next week after the team travels to Harnes where it will face Tourgoing-Lille-Métropole (TLM) this Saturday (7 p.m.). This will be a medical joker. He will compensate for the defection of the Mexican receiver-attacker Josué Lopez Rios who was severely injured in one knee (cartilage) and who should not return to the courts before the 2025-2026 season.
Josué Lopez Rios was hired by Narbonne in 2023 to strengthen the Centurions in the attacking sector. Average in reception, the South American stood out for his talent as a finisher. It is therefore an identical profile that the Narbonnais leaders are seeking to recruit, first and foremost president Bastien Anglade and general manager Michel Mandrou.
A player not selected for the draft in South Korea
To do this, the Audois will apparently turn to South Korea. Yes, South Korea. Not that the Narbonnais are preparing to hire a Korean. No. It turns out that every season at this time of year, a draft (players’ scholarship) is organized in this region of the globe, modeled on the NBA in the United States in basketball. This market generally concerns point guards and receiver-attackers. Of the 50 candidates, only 11 players found a club. Result: around forty remain on the floor. Among them, Narbonne would have found its happiness.
The boy, the lucky one, should arrive in Narbonne in a few hours. And then sign his contract at the start of the week. The Centurions Narbonne should present it publicly on Monday or Tuesday. Excellent news for the Aude club which lost its first two matches of the season in Poitiers (3-1) and at the Arena at home against promoted Cannes (3-1).
Already last year, Narbonne was active on the transfer market in the fall with the signing at the time of the sharp Venezuelan Edson Valencia whose mission was to replace the sharp Brazilian Daniel Cagliari injured in his arm. It was a success, Edson Valencia actively participating in keeping Narbonne in SpikeLigue. Let’s hope that the newcomer of the 2024-2025 season will experience the same trajectory.
