One of the most interesting names in the current transfer window of Israeli basketball is Rafi Manko. And Manko, who finished the best season of his career in the Hapoel Holon uniform with the title of national champion, is now at a stage where he has to choose where he is headed.
Manco felt at home in Holon from the first moment. The fans received him and gave him a feeling of home, when the chairman of the team, Eitan Lanciano, also said during his joining that “this is a statement.” Indeed, from the very first moment Manco looked great after returning from his tenure in France.
Manco was the Israeli who received the significant minutes in Europe with Guy Goodes, when in fact he was also the bright spot in the Final Four in Bilbao. After the painful loss, Manco sat with the fans until the wee hours of the night, talked to them and the connection seemed to be there. Back in Israel, after the same European campaign, Manco experienced a huge playoff with Holon – when also in the series against Hapoel Jerusalem and especially in the final against Herzliya, he got a significant role, started in the top five and was there for his team.
The championship was the highlight of Manco’s career – when even during the festivities he was dominant, took the microphone, activated the crowd and again seemed very connected to the crowd. Now, the same crowd is bombarding him with messages with one request – to stay at Hapoel Holon. Indeed, after the good season, he is now at a crossroads at the end of which he will have to choose.
On the table is an upgraded offer from Hapoel Holon, which wants to exercise the option on it. The team’s chairman, Eitan Lanciano, spoke to the sports channel and said of Manko: ‘We were very connected to him from the first moment. He’s a lovely guy above all, just a good guy. Whenever he was a little down, I tried to get him up. We are always with him and we will be happy for him to stay at Hapoel Holon. The ball is in his hands. ‘
Another option that lies on Manco’s table is a European exit. The forward has already tasted the taste of Europe in the 20/21 season in the French questionnaire uniform. He finished a good season personally, but was relegated with his team. Now, he has the option to fix. On his table is an offer from the FIBA Champions League champion, Tenerife, who was very interested in him after the battle against the Purples last season. It should be noted that Manco is wanted by several other teams in Europe, but the most tempting offer at the moment is that of the Spaniards.
The third and most intriguing option is that of Maccabi Tel Aviv. It is no secret that Oded Katsh has loved Manko since his days as a coach at Hapoel Eilat, and even now he does not hide his desire to add Manko. The sports channel learned from Maccabi Tel Aviv that the professional team also has a consensus about it, as a number of people have already talked to Manko in order to convince him to land in Yad Eliyahu and become the team’s first Israeli acquisition. By the way, a number of Maccabi fans have already talked and sent messages to Manco himself.
The Yellows, it should be noted, offer Manco a higher salary than the one offered by Holon by a few tens of thousands of dollars – but money, as of this moment, is not the player’s main consideration, but to be a central part of the team he chooses. One way or another, what is certain is that his signature will also create an interesting domino effect between the league teams.