Announced 99% at Paris Saint-Germain in exchange for €20 million, Matvey Safonov is still far from the French capital. In addition to the geopolitical considerations of such an affair, the Krasnodar goalkeeper would above all be faced with a ban on leaving Russian territory due to unpaid alimony. While waiting to see whether or not this situation will resolve, several players in Russian football have spoken out about a potential cohabitation between Safonov and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Safonov has the shoulders for a European great
Unsurprisingly, the Italian did not greet the news of this potential arrival with a smile. Already faced with this kind of head-on competition in 2021 with Keylor Navas, “Gigio” believes that his status as number 1 goalkeeper is unfairly called into question. An opinion shared by certain observers who wonder how Safonov can claim such a status in Paris when he has not played a high-level match (European Cup, World Cup qualifiers, Euro) since 2021. But in Russia, those who know the Krasnodar goalkeeper don’t really see Dnnarumma as untouchable.
Safonov’s partner in Krasnodar, midfielder Aleksandr Chernikov (24) believes that his friend has the level to join a major European club. “I think so. He stood out from the training center. His strengths and physical qualities were visible. He is improving greatly through hard work”he confided to Sport Express. For his part, former Lokomotiv Moscow and Russian team goalkeeper Ruslan Nigmatullin (24 caps) believes that Donnarumma’s play made him vulnerable.
Donnarumma impresses no one in Russia
“I read a lot that a lot of people were skeptical about Safonov moving to PSG. They wonder why go to Paris when Gianluigi Donnarumma is already playing there. I will answer this: Milan’s Donnarumma and PSG’s are two completely different goalkeepers. I loved Donnarumma in his youth, when he was not yet 20 years old. And now I don’t like his game, so if the sports principle works, then Matvey will have chances»he confided to Tatar-inform.
Former Krasnodar coach, Igor Shalimov also believes that Safonov has nothing to be ashamed of against the Italian. However, he still pointed out a flaw that Safonov shares with Donnarumma. “In my opinion, Matvey is not inferior to Donnarumma on his line. Maybe he even surpasses him. It is important to remove anything that can lead to errors, because there is no room for error with such a competitor. It will probably be in situations where you have to play with your feet. It is important not to make mistakes, and especially not to make any”.
