Samba chooses Lens: a bold homecoming
Brice Samba officially signed a five-year contract with Racing Club de Lens on Tuesday, giving Ligue 1 one of its most charismatic goalkeepers. The 28-year-old from Linzolo, a suburb of Brazzaville, arrives for a reported fee of five million euros.
Lens finished seventh last season and has built a reputation for noisy crowds and attacking football. By capturing Samba, the Sang et Or send a message that the club intends to challenge the European spots again and perhaps push even higher.
Samba was greeted at La Gaillette training center by dozens of supporters singing to traditional drum rhythms, a reminder of the strong Congolese community present in northern France. Many waved both tricolores and Republic of Congo flags to welcome their new hero.
Forest fairytale ends on a high note
Nottingham Forest fans still chant his name for the three penalty saves that propelled the Reds past Sheffield United during the Championship play-off. That May night transformed Samba into a cult figure at the City Ground and secured promotion after twenty-three long years.
Yet the arrival of Dean Henderson on loan from Manchester United reopened painful memories of Marseille, where Samba warmed the bench behind Steve Mandanda. Determined to be a starter, he informed Forest chiefs of his wish to seek a new challenge across the Channel.
Forest, grateful for 125 appearances and countless saves, respected the decision. Negotiations moved quickly once Lens presented a concrete offer, and English media report the club has inserted a healthy sell-on clause to protect a potential future profit.
A Brazzaville talent shaped in Le Havre
Samba learned his craft at Le Havre’s famous academy, the same school that produced Mandanda, Riyad Mahrez and Paul Pogba. Coaches remember a lanky teenager staying late to perfect footwork, convinced that modern goalkeepers must be comfortable initiating attacks, not only stopping shots.
Marseille signed him in 2013 as Mandanda’s heir, yet only four senior matches followed. Loans to Nancy and Caen offered game time but also reinforced his belief that a clear-cut No.1 role elsewhere would accelerate his development.
Today, Ligue 1 analysts praise his reflexes, but highlight distribution as the real value for Lens. Coach Franck Haise enjoys building from the back, and in training this week Samba was already spraying thirty-metre passes toward wing-backs under the eye of goalkeeping coach Hervé Sekli.
Red shirt still waits in Brazzaville
Despite regular call-ups over the past decade, Samba has never debuted for the Red Devils of Congo. Former national coach Paul Put admitted last year he kept an open phone line with both the player and his father, hoping to unlock what he called ‘a long romance’.
Sources close to the Congolese Football Federation say new talks are likely once the keeper settles in Lens. The country, hosting increasingly vibrant youth tournaments, sees Samba as a role model for local academies striving to follow President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s vision of sporting excellence.
Fans in Brazzaville hope a future friendly at the renovated Alphonse-Massamba-Débat stadium could mark his first appearance in red. A testimonial involving fellow Le Havre alumnus Steve Mandanda, who has family roots in the region, is already being floated by supporters’ groups.
Openda, Fofana and Doucouré in spotlight
Lens may soon welcome another Congolese bloodline with the expected arrival of striker Ikoma-Loïs Openda from Club Bruges, following a prolific loan at Vitesse Arnhem. Belgian press value the deal around ten million euros, underlining Lens’s growing financial ambition.
Captain Seko Fofana, voted best African player in Ligue 1, remains coveted, yet the northern side is holding out for forty million euros. Paris Saint-Germain monitors the situation, but insiders suggest negotiations will stretch deep into August.
Midfielder Cheick Oumar Doucouré, nicknamed Sekou, appears even closer to departure. French daily L’Équipe reports Crystal Palace and Patrick Vieira have agreed a fee exceeding twenty-five million euros, with a percentage earmarked for the Jean-Marc Guillou academy that trained him in Bamako.
What it means for fans and the city
With Samba signed and more moves brewing, ticket demand in Lens has surged. The club will release a mini-documentary on social platforms, featuring behind-the-scenes footage of his medical and a walk through the historic mining district that gives the Stade Bollaert its raw energy.
Local hoteliers and restaurant owners already anticipate a boost when the season opens in early August. ‘Supporters from Brazzaville to London are calling for rooms,’ smiles concierge Élodie Dubois at the city-centre Hôtel de Lens, predicting a welcome post-pandemic windfall.
For Congolese youth following the story on mobile phones, Samba embodies perseverance and pride. His journey from Linzolo’s dusty pitches to Ligue 1 stardom reinforces the message that talent can flourish across continents, especially when community, family and national institutions pull in the same direction.
