Monaco building a team despite uncertainty
With almost one week remaining before the start of the NM1 season, AS Monaco still does not know whether it will be able to take part in the championship.
Despite the uncertainty, the Roca Team is already working on building a roster capable of competing immediately at this level. Several people are currently involved in recruitment, including Oleksiy Yefimov, who remains part of the process despite the criticism surrounding the end of the previous professional structure.
The club is particularly focused on French players, who are especially valuable in a division where teams are limited to using two foreign players.
Kenny Kasiama becomes Monaco’s first signing
According to BeBasket, Monaco has completed its first signing for a potential NM1 campaign.
Kenny Kasiama (1.97m, 23) has joined Monaco after playing for Vichy in Elite 2 last season.
The versatile forward played at the 3/4 positions and appeared in 38 games during the 2025-26 season, averaging 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 16 minutes per game.
His shooting numbers were less consistent, with 34% from the field and 16.4% from three-point range on 1.4 attempts per game.
More recently, Kasiama took part in Évreux’s preseason.
His arrival represents the first concrete piece of Monaco’s recruitment, which could soon accelerate significantly.
Axel Toupane already in Monaco
Axel Toupane is already in Monaco. His arrival had been considered before the club found itself in the current situation, when the initial plan was for the team to compete at a higher level.
Monaco is also progressing with the signing of Mathieu Boyer.
The big man is currently in the region, where he is taking part in Antibes’ preseason, and discussions are reportedly advanced.
Monaco targeting a competitive NM1 roster
These profiles underline the ambitions Monaco has for a potential NM1 team.
The club wants to combine the experienced additions with several players who were initially expected to be part of its 2026-27 Espoirs group, although some of them have since joined other development programs.
One particular situation concerns Kyllian Michée (1.90m, 19), who has yet to obtain locally trained player status after spending a significant period with Real Madrid in Spain.
Coaching structure remains unclear
While recruitment is progressing, the structure of the coaching staff remains much less settled.
Several people are currently involved in discussions with players, while the division of responsibilities between the former SASP and the association still needs to be defined.
The situation is particularly evident regarding the coaching staff. Sergii Gladyr was expected to take charge of the professional team and remains under contract, while Mickaël Pivaud was initially expected to coach the Espoirs ELITE and is also contractually committed to the club.
There are still disagreements regarding the final sporting structure and who will ultimately take charge of Monaco’s potential NM1 team.
The key question: will Monaco be allowed to play?
One thing remains clear: Monaco intends to have significant resources available to quickly rebuild a strong roster.
The club’s recruitment is already moving forward, but there is still one essential piece missing for the project to become reality: authorization to participate in the NM1 championship.
via Bebasket.
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