Israel looks to'Italy: many in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s crosshairs

Israel looks with great attention to Italy, from which it could draw several players ahead of next season. After all, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s general manager is the very Italian Claudio Coldebella, and the former Varese and Reggio Emilia executive aims to reinforce the team with several familiar faces from Serie A. One of the main ones is Carsen Edwards, who may leave Virtus Bologna after only one season. Also in his personal notebook, however, are Mady Sissoko, the protagonist of a complex season in Trieste, and JD Notae, who remained without a contract like all his teammates in Trapani.

On Sissoko, however, there is no shortage of competition. The Malian center has already attracted the attentions of Olimpia Milano, which, according to reports from Prealpina, has him in its sights to reinforce the longs department ahead of next season. The Red Shoes, coming off a disappointing European year with the fourth consecutive year out of the Euroleague playoffs, are looking for young and physical profiles under the boards. Sissoko, despite a season not without obstacles – in December he suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in his left knee that kept him in the pits for several weeks – has nonetheless proved his worth, peaking on Nov. 18 in the Champions League against Galatasaray with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.

There was also earlier concrete interest on Notae from Serie A: Germani Brescia, grappling with the prolonged absence of CJ Massinburg, had made a survey for the 27-year-old point guard/guard in an attempt to find an immediate reinforcement to aim for the Scudetto. It is unclear whether that interest has since stalled for some reason or whether it is still alive today, but the player has remained unrestricted since Trapani’s bankruptcy, making himself available to anyone who wants to sink their teeth in.

Finally, the context in which Maccabi Tel Aviv operates should be mentioned: the Yellow and Blue club has played its Euroleague home games in Belgrade for much of the season, due to the unstable geopolitical situation in the Middle East. A condition that has complicated sports planning, but has not curbed Coldebella’s ambitions in the market, determined to build a competitive team by drawing heavily from the Italian pool.