In a press conference, Brice Samba offered his support to Lucas Chevalier, the 24-year-old Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper, while acknowledging the current challenges. The Stade Rennais FC goalkeeper described him primarily as a young competitor facing the pressure of the Parisian spotlight, but still perfectly equipped to bounce back.
Samba: “Lucas and I talked recently, it’s true that it’s not easy.”
Does he think he can move from third to second choice, given that Lucas Chevalier isn’t playing for PSG?
“I don’t know about that, you’d have to ask Coach Deschamps first. I’ll just be at the service of the team, and I’ll take whatever role they give me. Lucas and I talked recently, it’s true that it’s not easy for him, because we all aspire to play. He’s a very hard worker, of course, he didn’t expect to have a season like this.” After that, he’s someone who has a lot of confidence in himself, and we’ve all had that period in our careers, I’d say, where you have to learn things, process them, accept them, above all, and get back to work, quite simply, because we don’t have a choice, we have a coach, he’s the one who decides.
Samba “he’ll bounce back very quickly”
As for Lucas, I’m not too worried about him; he’ll bounce back very quickly. He’s also at a club that’s under 1000% scrutiny, which isn’t easy. The small mistakes he might have made at Lille are perhaps the same ones he makes in Paris, but the exposure is much greater. Besides, he’s still very young, and I know he has a very bright future ahead of him.
The most interesting thing about Samba’s comments isn’t just the reassurance, it’s the approach. In just a few sentences, the French goalkeeper reminds Chevalier that his current situation shouldn’t shatter his confidence or push him to rush things. He acknowledges the normal frustration of a player who wants to play, but he emphasizes three career reflexes: accept the current hierarchy, process the extreme exposure of a club like Paris, and then get back to work without unnecessary drama.
The message carries even more weight coming from a direct competitor, someone who knows the cutthroat nature of the position. Samba is not closing any doors for Chevalier. Rather, he is suggesting that a difficult period at PSG can also serve as a foundation, provided that Chevalier remains calm, solid, and obsessed with progress.
