By Stefan Acevski/ info@eurohoops.net
While initially planning for a massive budget of 59 million euros, Asvel might have to operate with a significantly smaller budget.
Auditioned on Wednesday by the DNCCG, the club from Rhone presented a backup plan around 24 million euros.
According to “L’Equipe”, Villeurbanne was heavily relying on funds from an Asian patron. This patron was supposed to represent more than half of the 2026-2027 budget. However, this new partner did not provide sufficient guarantees to the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCCG), even after Asvel requested an extension.
Asvel was auditioned on Wednesday
Auditioned on Wednesday by the financial watchdog, the club with 21 French championship titles reworked its proposal to present a budget around 24 million euros, closer to its resources from last season (18.7 million) and in line with the budget of the other French team engaged in the EuroLeague, Paris Basketball.
This backup plan should allow Asvel to participate in Betclic Élite and avoid the same scenario as Monaco, which was rejected on July 3. However, Tony Parker is still working to find a partner to get closer to the initial budget.
Before the final verdict from the DNCCG, the four-time NBA champion formalized his new role, a large staff of nine assistants led by former national team coach Vincent Collet, and above all, his first recruits. At the top of the list, Parker convinced Sylvain Francisco, second in the EuroLeague MVP vote with Zalgiris Kaunas, to return to France with a record contract.
Additionally, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Guerschon Yabusele were on the wishlist, and it seemed ASVEL could build a formidable team with a domestic core of players, but now it’s clear where the problem lies.
ASVEL has signed Nick Weiler-Babb, followed by Armoni Brooks, with a reported salary above two million annually for Brooks. Parker also announced the signing of Daniel Theis, who also earned over one million euros annually at Monaco. These amounts might be challenging to sustain with a 24 million euro budget and a payroll around ten million euros.
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