It was an open secret, it is now confirmed: in the company of Hugo Benitez, Axel Julien (1.85 m, 28 years old) will be in charge of JL Bourg next season. The result of an assiduous court, which had started in the summer of 2014, at a time when the Varois was still learning the profession in Pro B, with Hyères-Toulon. The game then returned to the charge several times: in 2015, with Christophe Denis (his coach in the France A ‘team), or even last year, provided with “a very good offer” in the player’s own words. .
The man of a coach, or almost
This time, he said yes and his commitment is of course motivated by an essential factor: the presence of Laurent Legname on the bench in Burgundy. Apart from Alain Weisz and Jean-Aimé Toupane during his first two professional seasons, the French international has never known another coach: the two men have now been working together for eight years. What give rise to an atypical transfer where, in his future club, Axel Julien will be almost more comfortable than the former JL (like Pierre Pelos, vice-champion of Europe U20 at his side in 2012), both over the years he has become the guarantor of Laurent Legname’s playing principles.
Until then, the child of Cavalaire-sur-Mer will try to end his Dijon adventure in style with the playoffs of next week. Landed in 2015 in the Côte d’Or, he became a major player in the French championship there, making a small place among the Blues (17 caps), winning the 2020 Leaders Cup and leading the JDA to first place in Jeep ELITE. . There are only three small games left for a big trophy, just to really afford the best possible outing.
Axel Julien greets the public in Dijon on the occasion of his last at the Palais des Sports on Tuesday
(photo : FOXAEP)
