PROFILE | Samson Baidoo – Lens steal gem from under Premier League side’s noses | OneFootball

From the moment reports broke that RC Lens were close to signing Samson Baidoo from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer, a very obvious comparison awaited the Austrian international. As a centre-back capable of playing in the middle of a back three, it was hard to ignore the idea that Lens had found their successor to Kevin Danso, who had left midway through last season for Tottenham Hotspur. 

Lens had tried hard to keep their interest in Baidoo a secret for as long as possible. They had to work quickly and quietly or else they would lose momentum, as the 21-year-old was on the radars of far richer clubs in the Premier League, but they had not yet been stirred into action. As soon as news leaked that Lens had made contact, they knew that these clubs would have bids readied. And that is exactly what is reported to have happened. 

L’Équipe wrote that two Premier League clubs sent delegations to try to swoop for Baidoo. They offered a far more lucrative deal to the club and the player, but it was too late. Lens had, in stealth, laid out the groundwork in a reported €8m deal and provided a convincing case for why the Austrian should continue his progress in France. A case that was helped by their former player. 

Danso helps convince Baidoo of Lens move

Baidoo would tell the French outlet that Danso had spoken to him before the move, telling him, “That if I want to focus solely on football, [Lens] is the place to be. He’s changed here as a person, as a player. He’s given me a lot of confidence.” It’s a decision that has worked out perfectly for the young defender; he has put in a star turn in a team that has climbed to first in the league on the back of their unflinching defensive performances. 

This is all the more impressive when considering that this is a Lens side that had its defence decimated over the past two transfer windows, with the sales and departures of the likes of Danso, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Facundo Medina. Baidoo has helped make the memory of those players a distant one, and it is becoming increasingly obvious that when he eventually leaves the north of France, it will be for far more than they originally signed him for.

GFFN | Nick Hartland