Handball: US Dunkerque – Usam Nîmes, connection established

Faustin facing Kamtchop-Baril, Acquevillo and Poyet. And soon with them ? Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Starligue/4th day. More than 1,000 kilometers separate the two cities and the two clubs, but the Gardois will find three former members of the Green team (Maurice, Nyateu and Dupuy), Friday, September 27 (8 p.m.). Before welcoming a Northerner, or even two, into their squad next season?

One thousand and eleven kilometers separate the Parnasse from the Stade des Flandres, the US Dunkerque stadium where Usam will try to collect a third consecutive success after its inaugural defeat at the Parisian champion (33-36). And where it has imposed itself every time for six years (six victories in a row)… until last season and a 31-26 setback in April.

This Friday, the Green team will find three of its exes in the northern ranks: coach Franck Maurice, playmaker Nyateu, both of whom moved up to Hauts-de-France in 2022, and fullback/defender Dupuy, who crossed France this summer.

If this trio emigrated, it was firstly because Nîmes did not wish to keep them. But these three affectionate players found in USDK a known and recognised club – the last to have been champion before PSG's ten consecutive titles in 2014 – conducive to their development.

Benjamin Gallego could have joined the North too

"I signed there because I was joining an interesting project, a team that was regaining confidence and performance after several years of decline, and solid structures with a desire for expansion. In fact, it was a bit like the Usam of about ten years ago", summarizes Maurice. And the technician explains why he wanted to recruit “OB” and “Kent”: “The ambition was to integrate the top third of the ranking. So, I needed players who know this level and who worked hard to reach it. I also wanted guys who were involved and who had real human values. Both ticked all the boxes”.

A third Usamiste could have joined them: Gallego was contacted by the northern team. The Languedoc native was interested, but did not follow up for family reasons. “When Nyateu got injured during our first season in Dunkirk, we were 5th in Starligue”, recalls his coach. For an 8th place finish.

Jean-Loup Faustin and Tom Pelayo targeted

In fact, from North to South, the vases have communicated: Dunkerque has gone from the top 5 to the top 10 in ten years and Usam from the top 10 to the top 5. “The problem, regrets Maurice, is that we develop players who leave us, Bellahcene (Kiel), Kieffer (Chambéry), Yoshida (Nantes) while we need to stabilize the squad to perform over time.”

This is where Usam, like others, is on the lookout: according to our information, after having approached Bellahcene for a while, its management has in recent months gotten closer to Faustin and Pelayo, two major Dunkirk assets.

As revealed by Midi Librefrom June 5, the deal would be closed for next season with the first, a 29-year-old center half from Clermont-l'Hérault (like Rebichon and Gallego), trained in Montpellier and past the Nîmes Espoirs center. A desire of David Degouy.

For the second, 27-year-old right-back and current top scorer in D1 (32 goals in 3 days!), it is not yet done, a neighboring club from across Vidourle is also interested, among others…
"It is not surprising that Usam is positioning itself on these players. For them, Nîmes represents an additional step. We know what this club gives off. And maybe they (the Gard leaders, Editor's note) want to recruit in Dunkirk because they know that it works well, and that I have the ability to bring out players”, Franck Maurice says.

As announced, the Egyptian Mohab Abdelhak, who came off injured and bleeding from the match against Créteil last Friday, has a broken nose. He is out of the trip to Dunkirk. I subscribe to read the rest