Who is Matvey Safonov, PSG’s latest discovery?

The Paris Saint-Germain summer transfer window promises to be hot. With the departure of Kylian Mbappé already recorded, the upper echelons of the capital club intend to be active on the transfer market to compensate for the loss of the top scorer in Parisian history. If Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bernardo Silva and even Viktor Gyökeres have all been announced in the sights of the Rouge et Bleu, the first recruit of the French champions could surprise more than one. Indeed, according to the latest revelations from the Russian media Championship, PSG and Krasnodar would be very close to finalizing the transfer of Matvey Safonov. Information that we are able to confirm.

A deal about to be closed!

A transfer estimated at 20 million euros, excluding bonuses, which would allow the last semi-finalist of the Champions League to provide real competition to Gianluigi Donnarumma, the indisputable starter in the Ile-de-France cages. And for good reason. At a time when Keylor Navas has decided to leave the City of Light, Arnau Tenas could be loaned to him and Sergio Rico sees his future more uncertain than ever in Paris, Luis Campos and his teams are accelerating to strengthen this sector of the game 25-year-old Russian international (13 caps), Matvey Safonov, Akinfeev’s successor in goal for Sbornaïa since Euro 2020, should therefore be the lucky one.

Born in 1999, the native of Stavropol was not destined to pursue a football career. First attracted by basketball – his father Evgeny was a coach for the Lokomotiv-Kuban youth team – the current last bulwark of the Gorojanié finally plunged into the pools during his first years of study and it is finally during a swimming lesson he was spotted. Present at this training, several coaches from the Krasnodar academy, impressed by his size, his speed in the water, his agility and his dexterity – then spotted the potential of the young Russian. The start of a great adventure. Arriving at the Byki training center on July 1, 2015, the man who has just celebrated his 25th birthday quickly confirmed all the hopes placed in him.

Exceptional physical qualities…

With an above-average mentality, close to his trainers and determined to progress technically – he did not hesitate to extend his sessions to improve his kicking game – Matvey Safonov was also appreciated for his abilities impressive intellectuals. Those who worked with him confided, as such, his disconcerting mastery of the Rubik’s Cube, the famous three-dimensional geometric puzzle composed externally of 26 elements. At the same time, the 1m92 right-hander took advantage of FK Krasnodar’s detailed program to develop his body. Alongside the greatest champions of acrobatic gymnastics, one of the specificities of the Vert et Noir training, Safonov was able to strengthen his muscles, while working on his flexibility. A symbol of his extraordinary abilities, the young prodigy set the academy record during a particular activity consisting of performing a 180-degree jump from a seated position.

With this in mind, Aleksandra Gorbacheva, a professional gymnast who designed many trampoline exercises to encourage fuller physical development, explained that after the tenth jump, lactic acid begins to build up in most people…except for Safonov who achieved no less than 83. Ahead of his age, the latter was then doing all his classes within the club created in 2008 and signed his first professional contract on January 1, 2019. Russian international hopeful, he then gradually established himself as number one. After 21 matches in all competitions played during the 2018-2019 season, Safonov took part in 33 matches during the 2019-2020 financial year before discovering the Champions League in 2020-2021 (28 matches and 5 clean sheets) where he notably disgusted Stade Rennais during the group stage.

Russian international, European experience… an already attractive CV

Firmly established in the FK Krasnodar cages (174 matches, 52 clean sheets), the Russian number 39 finally made a series of starts (27 matches in 2021-2022, 36 matches in 2022-2023 and 29 matches during this season) and celebrated his first selection on June 1, 2021 during a friendly match against Poland. Solid on his line, renowned for his liveliness and his good kicking game, the captain of the current 3rd in the Premier Liga – who faces Dinamo Moscow on the last day and can still dream of the title – thus succeeded Igor Akinfeev after Euro 2020. Often compared to David de Gea – two fairly identical profiles with a large size and a disconcerting speed of reaction – Safonov has, moreover, always been widely praised by those who were able to meet him during his rise.

“The most interesting qualities of Matvey that we don’t necessarily see is that he never trembles, he is very confident. His fantastic saves on his line and his speed of reaction are also two things to highlight”declared Murad Musaev, head coach of FC Krasnodar. “In the air, the movement of his body is impressive, it is as if he remains suspended in a vacuum but his very timely push is probably more linked to his ability to read the trajectory of the ball very well”, added Alexandra Gorbacheva, former physical trainer of the Sbornaïa goalkeeper at the FC Krasnodar academy. Also praised by Stanislav Tchertchessov, former coach of the Russian national team, Matvey Safonov therefore seems to have all the qualities necessary to take on this first major challenge far from his native land. In Paris, now, to appreciate his prowess…