Matvey Safonov (25), the goalkeeper who joined Paris Saint-Germain this summer, spoke at a press conference. The Russian international spoke frankly of his eagerness to play after three months without competition, while also welcoming the competition from Lucas Chevalier (22) and expressing his desire to establish himself at PSG.
Safonov: “I expected competition and I still expect it.”
“I would have liked to play (at the Club World Cup). It’s been three months now since I last played. I would like to play. The situations are different. But you can’t make predictions. I expected competition and I still expect it.
My goal is to prove in every match and every training session that I deserve my place. If I get the opportunity, I will do my best to rise to the occasion.”
Safonov: “Everything is going according to plan. “We mustn’t give up, we must fight.”
Lucas Chevalier?
We have excellent communication, there’s a good atmosphere in training. All the goalkeepers are good, great people. I gained experience (last year). We’ll see how things develop.
It would be strange to go to Europe to face difficulties, then run away from them. Why would I have come then? Everything is going according to plan. We mustn’t give up, we must fight.
Safonov: “I want people to count on me, but I have to prove it on the pitch.”
How many matches can I hope for?
My goal is to play the next match. That’s the only way to think. You shouldn’t set yourself the goal of playing 15 or 20 matches… That makes no sense. I want people to count on me, but I have to prove it on the pitch.
Any comments on Zabarnyi’s arrival?
I won’t. »
Safonov delivered a clear and determined speech: it wasn’t a question of demanding starting status, but of earning it. Deprived of playing time for several months, the former Krasnodar goalkeeper knows that patience will be an essential weapon at a club like PSG, where the goalkeeping hierarchy remains under scrutiny following the arrival of Lucas Chevalier.
Refusing to provide any quantitative projections on the number of matches to be played, the Russian prefers to talk about opportunities to be seized, match after match, training session after training session. His mindset contrasts with that of some foreign goalkeepers who arrive in Ligue 1 without adapting: Safonov asserts his choice to face challenges, rather than run away from them. A clear message sent to Luis Enrique and the competition.
