A very strange summer of 2026 for ASVEL Villeurbanne. It started with vision, dreams, ambitions, and a plan, and ended up with nightmares, uncertainty, and… disappointment! From a budget that had skyrocketed to 59 million, which would have completely changed the narrative for a team that in recent years had been a punching bag and consistently one of the weakest squads.
The first and most crucial addition was that of Sylvain Francisco. The French guard arrived with high expectations at his home country’s team on a massive contract (over 4 million per year); however, financial restructuring and the inability to secure funding slashed the budget to 24 million and essentially sent Francisco to Panathinaikos!
The Greens officially announced the French guard on a 10.7 million per year deal, and the former Peristeri player left behind the ASVEL project, which naturally will not come to fruition—given the circumstances. But it’s not just Francisco; it’s also a player who had made a splash in the jersey of Armani Milan.
Armoni Brooks, the MVP of the past season in the Italian league, had also been announced by ASVEL; however, the American will take a path similar to Francisco’s. According to reports, Brooks will play this year on loan at Valencia, with Tony Parker’s team once again seeing a very strong player slip through their fingers, who would have also been a key piece of this year’s endeavor.
Brooks was one of four players to hit at least 100 three-pointers in the EuroLeague during the 2025/26 season. He had an excellent second year in the competition, having averaged 7.6 points in his rookie season.
Bienvenue Armoni Brooks ! ⭐️
— LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) July 3, 2026
LDLC ASVEL est heureux de vous annoncer la signature d'Armoni Brooks pour les deux prochaines saisons.
Véritable menace offensive, le MVP 2026 du championnat italien apportera toute sa puissance de feu à l'effectif villeurbannais. Il s'est imposé la… pic.twitter.com/5dCfyjkHTK
In domestic competitions, he averaged 16.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, performances that earned him the “Dino Meneghin” award as the MVP of the Italian league for the 2025/26 season. At the same time, he led Armani Milan to the double, winning the Italian Championship and Cup, while also being named the most valuable player of the Cup final.