March 14, 2023, Nasice - A new reinforcement of RK Nexe has been presented: Croatia national team's Manuel Strlek is going to Slavonia. He will join the Nasice team next season and spend the next three years there.

Photo: Slobodan Kadic

Manuel Strlek is transferring to Nexe from Veszprem in Hungary. Alongside this European handball giant, he defended the colors of RK PPD Zagreb and Kielce from Poland. For the first time in Croatia, the signing of the contract was organized with the fans present, hundreds of whom gathered in the hall of Kralj Tomislav Elementary School in Nasice. They did not hide their enthusiasm for the reinforcement, which gives realistic prospects for RK Nexe to remain at the top of Croatian and European handball, perhaps more.

Photo: Slobodan Kadic

"I have been following what Nexe is doing in European and domestic competitions for a long time, and I knew that it was a serious and brilliantly organized sports team. But when the club leaders presented their development plans to me, I was delighted and didn't have much doubt. I am happy that after Veszprem, I will again play in a place that lives for handball, as evidenced by the many fans who came to greet me and are the best confirmation that I made a good decision. Thank you to everyone from RK Nexe for welcoming me the way only Slavonians know how, with big hearts and smiles. I promise that I will repay them all with quality matches and that we will raise the club's already high ambitions and fight for the very top in domestic and European competitions", said Manuel Strlek.

Photo: Slobodan Kadic

Even Josip Ergovic, president of RK Nexe, did not hide his enthusiasm.

"We are proud of this sensational reinforcement, which ensures the continuity of top handball in Nasice. After Jelinic left, we decided on this, the biggest return transfer in Croatian handball history. We want Manuel Strlek to feel at home here and delight our loyal fans at matches, just like we did today at the contract signing. He is a top handball player, a member of the Croatian national team who defended the colours of the strongest European teams and justifies our high handball ambitions. That's why we decided to have a slightly bigger celebration after signing the contract, for Manuel to get to know Nasice and our great love for RK Nexe and handball. RK Nexe will win the title of Croatian champion during Manuel Strlek's contract", said Ergovic, stressing that Nexe, as the 16^th best club in Europe, will have more transfers for the next season.

Photo: Slobodan Kadic

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October 5, 2021 - Handball club NEXE from Našice will play in the EHF European League Group C!

Although the impressions have not yet subsided after the NEXE handball team made up for 6 goals against the Danish club Bjerringbro Silkeborg and qualified for the European League, the future is already being planned in Našice. The European League groups have been drawn in Vienna.

Slobodan Kadic

NEXE was in the last pot this time. Regardless, the draw could have been better. The Našice club is in group C with the German team Magdeburg, French PAUC, Swedish Savehof, Spanish Logron la Rioja, and Slovenian Gorenje from Velenje. Coach Branko Tamše was most pleased with the latter. Born in Velenje, he became a player at Gorenje and later started a very successful coaching career.

Slobodan Kadic

"We knew that all groups would be strong, but ours is very difficult with six different styles of play and therefore attractive. There will be everything; I am already looking forward to new matches. And now, slowly, game by game, we will prepare well for as many points as possible. I think the easiest is group D, and group B is like ours. It is what it is!" pointed out Tamše, who, together with his players, will enjoy the victory for a few more days.

Slobodan Kadic

NEXE begins in the European League Group C on October 19, visiting Provence in Aix against PAUC. Then, they will play at home against Savehof on October 26, a slightly more challenging opponent than last year's Alingsas, which NEXE defeated twice in the European League group last year. Savehof is the current Swedish champion.

NEXE will then make their fourth visit to Magdeburg (November 16). The draw put them in the same group for the second year in a row. Magdeburg went to the very end last season, so they will try to defend their title as European League champs.

Slobodan Kadic

A week later, NEXE will visit Logrono La Rioja in Spain. They are nominally the third-best club in Spain, behind the European champions Barcelona and Bidasoe Irun, and were knocked out by NEXE last year on their way to the European League.

The first round will close on November 30 against Velenje in Našice, and a week later, NEXE will play in Tamše's hometown, where the team prepared this summer.

Four teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. 

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