Brice Samba has explained why he decided to leave Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2022.
The goalkeeper stunned the fan base by choosing a move to Lens over a campaign playing Premier League football with Forest.
Samba moved to the City Ground in the summer of 2019 and quickly established himself as the number one.
His defining moment came during the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Sheffield United in the promotion-winning campaign.
He saved three penalties as Forest edged through to the Wembley final and played as the Reds defeated Huddersfield to win promotion.
Samba explains why he left Forest
It was a bit of a sickener when the player decided he wanted to leave the City Ground during the summer.
Samba was quality across the 2021/22 campaign and he was firmly established as Steve Cooper’s number one stopper.
It’s not always been clear why he left, with some reports claiming a bit of a dispute over a contract with Forest.
However, Samba has appeared to quash those claims and he’s been addressing his departure.
He told L’Equipe: “My teammates told me: ‘You’re crazy, you’re adored in this city, you don’t pay anything anymore if you to eat somewhere, why would you leave?’ But it was a choice.
“I left France with a little taste of unfinished business, I wanted to show, that I felt ready to return to this country. The relationship with Frank Haise and Florent Ghisolfi also played a role.”
Samba a hero on Trentside
When the France international was named in the top 10 best goalkeepers in the world recently, Forest fans lauded Samba.
The loyal fan base will never forget what he did for the club and at 29-years-old, he’s now in his prime at Lens.
It’s a real shame that he decided that his future lies away from the City Ground.
Samba was worshipped by the Forest fan base and the majority of fans wanted him to remain the number one in the Premier League.
It wasn’t to be as he’s now explained, he felt as though he had some unfinished business in the top flight back in France.
Samba’s heroics will forever be remembered by the Forest faithful and it’s fair to say he played a huge part in the team being where they are today.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
