Competition and Chevalier, Safonov signals battle for PSG goalkeeper spot

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·4 septembre 2025

Competition and Chevalier, Safonov signals battle for PSG goalkeeper spot

Matvei Safonov (25 years old), the goalkeeper who joined Paris Saint-Germain this summer, spoke at a press conference. Without mincing words, the Russian international expressed his impatience to play after three months without competition, while acknowledging the competition with Lucas Chevalier (22 years old) and showing his determination to establish himself at PSG.

Safonov: "I expected competition and I still do"

"I would have liked to play (at the Club World Cup). It's now been three months since I last played. I would really like to play. The situations are different. But you shouldn't make predictions. I expected competition and I still do. My goal is to prove in every match and every training session that I deserve my place. If I get the chance, I will do my best to live up to expectations."

Safonov: "Everything is going as planned. You must not give up, you have to fight"

Lucas Chevalier? We have excellent contact, there is a good atmosphere in training. All the goalkeepers are good and wonderful people. I gained experience (last year). We’ll see how things develop. It would be strange to come to Europe to face difficulties, and then run away from them. Why would I have come then? Everything is going as planned. You must not give up, you have to fight.

Safonov: "I want people to count on me, but I have to prove it on the pitch"

How many matches do you hope for? My goal is to play the next match. That’s the only way to think. You shouldn’t set a 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. A comment on Zabarnyi’s arrival? I won’t comment."

Safonov delivered a clear and determined message: he is not asking for a starting spot, but intends to earn it. Having been 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 goalkeeper hierarchy is under scrutiny following the arrival of Lucas Chevalier.

Vidéos OneFootball

Refusing to set any numerical targets for the number of matches he’ll play, the Russian prefers to talk about seizing opportunities, match after match, training session after training session. His mindset stands in contrast to that of some foreign goalkeepers who have come to Ligue 1 without adapting: Safonov claims his choice to face difficulty rather than run from it. A clear message sent to Luis Enrique and to the competition.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.