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Brice Samba returns to France in €5 million move to Lens

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Samba Signs Five-Year Contract with Lens

Congolese goalkeeper Brice Samba has signed a five-year contract with Racing Club de Lens, the ambitious French Ligue 1 club confirmed on Tuesday. The transfer, valued at approximately €5 million, brings the 28-year-old player back across the English Channel after three remarkable seasons with Nottingham Forest in the English Championship.

Although he didn’t experience the Premier League he so desired, Samba leaves England on a high note. He saved three penalties in last season’s playoff semi-final, a heroic performance that secured Forest’s return to the top flight for the first time since 1999.

A Strategic Transfer Following His Exploits at Forest

Lens finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season, narrowly missing European qualification, and coach Franck Haise sees Samba as the missing piece ahead of a demanding campaign. The €5 million fee aligns with the club’s sustainable recruitment model.

The sporting director stated that the club prioritizes leaders with a top-level temperament. “Brice knows adversity, pressure, and promotion. That combination is rare and worth investing in,” he explained without disclosing the details of the contract structure.

From Linzolo to Ligue 1: A Winding Journey

Born in Linzolo, a suburb of Brazzaville, Samba was scouted as a teenager playing in street tournaments. He joined the famous Le Havre academy, the same school that trained French international Steve Mandanda, before Olympique de Marseille lured him south as the long-term successor to the veteran goalkeeper.

The promise shone but never fully ignited on the Mediterranean coast. Limited to four first-team appearances, Samba went on successive loans to Nancy and Caen in search of playing time. Nottingham Forest offered him regular action in 2019, and 125 matches later, his reputation had transcended the English second tier.

Family Legacy and Early Promise

Lens’s new signing carries a distinguished name. His father, Brice Samba Senior, guarded the goal for Congo’s Red Devils in the 1990s. Junior’s rise has therefore been long followed on both banks of the Congo River, even though international appearances remain an unresolved chapter for the goalkeeper.

The former Congo national team coach admitted last year that repeated efforts to secure Samba’s commitment had failed. “We talk often,” he emphasized, suggesting the door remains open. For now, club responsibilities and personal development continue to top the goalkeeper’s stated priorities.

Lens Strengthens Its Congolese Connection

Samba could soon share the dressing room with another player of Congolese origin. Lens has agreed in principle to a €10 million deal for Lois Openda, the quick striker who scored prolifically on loan at Vitesse Arnhem and recently made his senior debut for Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.

Openda’s arrival would extend the growing Central African influence at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. This trend deepens the club’s appeal in Francophone Africa and offers promising pathways to prestigious European competitions, if performances match the ambition in the upcoming domestic campaign.

Potential Departures Reshape the Squad

The campaign of

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