The French outside hitter Axel Truhtchev, who has Bulgarian roots, officially became part of the Polish club Stal Nysa. The 30-year-old volleyball player is well-known in Bulgaria as well, having played for Neftochimic 2010 (Burgas) for two seasons and being among the solid foreign players in the Bulgarian Superliga.

Stal Nysa announced his signing on January 28 through its communication channels, and the transfer is part of the team's winter reinforcement at a crucial point in the season.

Stal Nysa competes in the second tier of men's volleyball in Poland, and for the 2025/2026 season, it is purposefully working towards promotion and a return to PlusLiga. Currently, coach Mark Lebedew's team occupies third place in the regular season standings, trailing the leaders CUK Aniołowie (Toruń) and GKS (Katowice) by 7 points.

The race remains extremely tight, as Stal Nysa holds a minimal lead of only one point over BBTS (Bielsko-Biała) – a detail that makes every misstep potentially decisive.

With the signing of the Frenchman, Stal Nysa fills the vacant spot among the outside hitters, after the club terminated Max Schulz's contract by mutual agreement. The new addition is expected to provide more security in the most crucial elements for a team aiming for promotion – reception, first attack, and stability in long rallies.

This season, Truhtchev played in the Greek championship, but he himself admits that he did not hesitate when an opportunity arose to move to a Polish club. The volleyball player emphasized that his decision was not dictated by problems, but by the desire to take the next step and take advantage of the 'huge opportunity' offered by the new team.

With this move, Stal Nysa clearly shows its intentions – the club not only wants to be at the top but to strengthen its squad in such a way as to withstand the pressure and reach its goal: PlusLiga.