FEATURE | Is Lens’ Robin Risser the answer to France’s goalkeeper dilemma? | OneFootball

Eight years ago, a few days before announcing the names of the 23 players who would accompany him to Russia and become world champions three months later, France’s Didier Deschamps detailed the process he liked to use to build his team.

“I have positions to fill in every role,” he explained. “Initially, I write down four or five names in each box. By the end of my reflection, each box should contain only two names.”

Today, with the 2026 World Cup (11th June – 19th July) already on the horizon, the France national team boss is preparing to undertake this delicate exercise for the fourth and final time, having already announced that he will be stepping down at the end of the competition. But unlike in 2014 and 2018, Deschamps now has more latitude in his choice of men.

In the United States, as was already the case in Qatar in 2022, the 57-year-old coach could choose to take at least 26 players with him. And more, if rumours about FIFA’s desire to expand squads to 30 prove to be true. This does not mean that teams are required to select the maximum number of players. Simply that they have the option to do so. Four years ago, Deschamps himself chose not to overload his squad, selecting only 23 players to try to retain their World Cup title.

Chevalier, Samba, and Areola all dropped

Seeing him make the same choice when he unveils his list for the 2026 edition next May would therefore come as no surprise. Then will come the question of the selected players. Because that is perhaps the flip side of being able to draw on such a large pool of talent as France enjoys: decisions have to be made. Deschamps, known for his pragmatism, is not the kind of man for surprises. However, this summer, that trend could well be reversed.

While all areas of the team are undoubtedly well covered, both in terms of quality and quantity, there is still one position that raises a few questions. Specifically, the goalkeeper spot. Although Mike Maignan (30) appears to be the undisputed first choice, the identity of his two backup options does not seem as certain as it might appear.

Lucas Chevalier (24), who earned his first cap last November against Azerbaijan (1-3), has a head start on his rivals, although the momentum is not really in his favour. Having arrived at Paris Saint-Germain as the designated replacement for Gianluigi Donnarumma (26), who left for Manchester City, the 24-year-old goalkeeper is struggling to convince. So much so that he is no longer considered the starting goalkeeper for Luis Enrique’s team. Having made several costly mistakes and delivered poor performances in recent months, the former Lille player has seen his teammate Matvey Safonov (26) take over as number one in recent weeks. Perhaps not enough yet for Deschamps to decide to demote him in the hierarchy, but certainly enough to give him pause for thought.

As for the other contenders for a place in the France squad for the World Cup, caution is also advised here.

Brice Samba (31), a three-time international, is also going through a difficult period. The Stade Rennais regular is the goalkeeper who has conceded the third-highest number of goals in Ligue 1 this season (31 in 20 matches), and he ranks only 15th in terms of save percentage (65.9%), according to FBref data.

Alphonse Areola (32), a member of the squad that travelled to Qatar in 2022, is not doing much better, having yet to keep a clean sheet for West Ham United, currently 18th in the PremierLeague, after 20 league games. He has been dropped in recent games.

Risser key to Lens’ title push

Faced with so much uncertainty, could Deschamps be tempted to shake up his habits? And if so, who would be in a position to push him to do so? Robin Risser (21) may well be the best person to answer these questions.

Having come up through the ranks at RC Strasbourg Alsace, the Colmar native joined RC Lens last summer and quickly established himself as one of Ligue 1’s best goalkeepers. Having started 21 times under Pierre Sage, Risser boasts impressive statistics, conceding only 17 goals since the start of the season, recording no fewer than eight clean sheets and posting the second-highest save percentage in the league (76.2%), behind SCO Angers’ Hervé Koffi (29) – 78%.

It has been enough to impress Sage, whose past as a player led him to take the position between the posts. “He is a goalkeeper with many qualities in many different areas. He is very good on his line, he is good at managing the spaces in behind, he is good at kicking and at coming off his line for aerial balls too. And I think that today, what will make the difference between his current level and his level in two or three years’ time is precisely his ability to manage the highs and lows of his matches, as well as the highs and lows of the team,” said the former goalkeeper of the modest CS Belleysan club last September about his young protégé.

Butez an outside choice for France’s World Cup squad?

“We talked about his speed of recovery and the nature of the recovery depending on what the team has just been through. That’s the experience of matches and the sequence of events that will bring him there. But in any case, he has all the components to make him a very, very great goalkeeper.”

To his credit, Risser also offers experience at the national team level, where he has been a member since the under-16s and continues to represent the country today with the U21s.

A fate almost identical to that of Guillaume Restes (20), playing for Toulouse FC, whose consistent performances could well earn him a place in the French national team. Could this happen as early as 2026?

A third option for Deschamps could also come from Italy, specifically from Como, where Jean Butez (30) is shining. Born in Lille, where he came up through the LOSC academy, the 30-year-old never had the opportunity to prove himself in France, moving to Belgium before making his professional debut.

Appearing on 23 occasions in goal for the Lariani this season, he has conceded only 16 goals, maintaining an impressive save rate of 81.3% and keeping 12 clean sheets, helping Como establish themselves as the second-best defence in Serie A.

Now 30 and having never worn the blue, white and red colours of the French jersey, he seems to be enjoying the best form of his career. And certainly at the best possible moment. One that could enable him to rise to the occasion and live his American dream.

GFFN | Léo Aschi