For the two upcoming matches of the Blues at the end of March, Didier Deschamps has called on three new players, who could experience their first selection with the France team during this gathering.
Almost three months after the World Cup final lost against Argentina (3-3, 2-4 pens), Didier Deschamps broke new ground. The coach of the France team called, Thursday, March 16, three new players who will discover the Blues during the first gathering of the year 2023: Wesley Fofana, Brice Samba and Khéphren Thuram. The luckiest will know their first selection against the Netherlands on March 24 or against Ireland three days later, during these matches counting for the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Before seeing them put on the tricolor tunic , focus on these neo-internationals.
Brice Samba, the late hatching
At 28, he is the oldest of the newly summoned. Brice Samba is taking advantage of his very good season with RC Lens, which he joined last summer, to try to find a place for himself in the new hierarchy of French goalkeepers. The Lensois discovers the very high level late, he who only participates in his second season as a holder in the first division. Last year, he was instrumental in promoting Nottingham Forest to the Premier League. Very successful since the start of the season, he was observed by Franck Raviot, the coach of the Blues goalkeepers, during the match between Lens and Nantes on February 19.
“Of course I’m thinking of the France team”, assured Samba last October after a good match against Olympique de Marseille. His presence with the Blues was not obvious: in 2012, he had participated in an internship with the selection of Congo. But instead of choosing the same fate as his father – also called Brice Samba and Congolese international – the Lensois goalkeeper took his troubles patiently. To tread the lawn with the Blues, he will probably have to take his troubles patiently because Mike Maignan is the number 1 in power after the international retirements of Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda. But on this rally, he doubles Alban Lafont, yet already called up to the Blues. “Alban deserved it too, but because of what Brice Samba has been doing since the start of the season, it’s interesting to see him with us. Everything speaks for him, so that we integrate him and that we can see him. daily over ten days”justified Didier Deschamps.
Wesley Fofana, with a slight delay
While France can count on an impressive pool of young central defenders, Wesley Fofana is perhaps the most promising of them. In November 2020, when he had just signed for Leicester, Didier Deschamps assured him: “He is one of the players we follow” It was therefore necessary to wait two and a half years to see Fofana be summoned to the Blues. The first fault was a very serious injury in the summer of 2021, a fractured tibia which kept him away from the field for many months. .
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Having become the most expensive defender in the world last summer, bought for 81 million euros by Chelsea, Fofana was once again injured, this time in the knee, last October. The 22-year-old defender wanted to participate in the World Cup, but again had to wait. Since returning from injury, Fofana has secured a starting spot at Chelsea and is impressing. “I want to be the best in the world at my job“, he announced last August to The Telegraph. An overflowing ambition that will certainly help him find his place in the France team.
Chephren Thuram, the heir
There was Lilian Thuram, 1998 world champion. Then Marcus Thuram, finalist for the 2022 World Cup. Now here is Khéphren Thuram, son of the first and little brother of the second. Retained for the first time by Didier Deschamps, he saw his good performances in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice for a year and a half being rewarded. Trained at AS Monaco, he is already playing his third season with the Aiglons and was a must for the Espoirs before this summons to the A.
In February 2022, the coach congratulated the offspring of his former teammate after a Coupe de France match between Nice and Marseille: “He has good progress. He is very interesting, he has a lot of volume.” This volume, Khéphren Thuram uses it wisely as a defensive midfielder where he excels. To the point of stealing the place of Mattéo Guendouzi in the list. The one who will turn 22 on March 26 could be the youngest Thuram to make his debut in Blue, ahead of his father (22 years and seven months) and his brother (23 years and three months).