Former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba has told L’Equipe that he enjoyed his time at the City Ground.
The Tricky Trees signed the 29-year-old from Caen in 2019 and he spent three years with them, before returning to his home country, when he joined RC Lens in 2022.
Steve Cooper’s side returned to the Premier League last year, after overcoming Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final. That clash was the Frenchman’s last outing for Nottingham Forest.
On Wednesday, the Ligue 1 side will face Arsenal at the Emirates and the Champions League tie will see the stopper return to England for the first time since leaving Forest.
Ahead of the European tie, L’Equipe had a detailed interview with the player, where they questioned his decision to join Nottingham Forest, who were then in the Championship.
“I had a few requests from Ligue 1 after my season with Caen. But I’m someone who likes to discover new things,” he said.
“There was a lot of reflection with those around me, my agent. And, with my wife, we thought, why not start from scratch? That’s what attracted me. And it was really my wife who made me make this decision.”
During his time at Nottingham Forest, the goalkeeper kept 45 clean sheets and conceded 124 goals and 133 games. He was instrumental in the play-off semi-final against Sheffield United in 2022, where he stopped three penalties in the shootout.
When asked whether that was the ‘biggest emotion’ he experienced in his career, Samba explained: “Unquestionably. When I arrive in England, I tell the guys: we’re going to go up.
“Joe Worrall, the current captain, said to me: ‘Do you know how long it’s been since we went up? We’re cursed’. I replied: you will see, with me, it will be different. I always had this thing in the back of my mind, I wanted to experience something strong. This is the reason why in this match, I transcended myself. I had spoken, I had to take responsibility.”
After helping Cooper’s side achieve promotion, the player left them for Lens in 2022, and this decision left several Nottingham Forest players surprised.
“My teammates told me: ‘You’re crazy, you’re adored in this city, you don’t pay anything anymore if you go to eat somewhere, why would you leave?’ But it was a choice,” he added.
“I left France with a little taste of unfinished business, I wanted to show, I felt ready to return to the country. The relationship with Franck Haise and Florent Ghisolfi (former sporting director) also played a role.”
