“I want to find play time and pleasure again. I have to leave the club! »

Foot Mercato: you have moved to number two in the hierarchy at Caen in recent weeks, how do you feel about this situation?

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Anthony Mandréa : Well, I have no choice but to accept it and move forward, I'm not the one who makes the decisions. I must now move forward.

FM: now the incumbent is Yannis Clémentia, how are the relationships between you?

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AM : it's normal, we have a healthy working relationship, we don't get in the way, we work properly, the situation is cordial between us.

«I'm not a substitute goalkeeper, not a bench goalkeeper!»

FM: your situation in Caen was good during your first two seasons, how do you explain this deterioration in your starting status?

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AM : I don't think my performances were bad. Obviously, there is always better to do, but I felt good, I had confidence. Unfortunately, the club's results at the start of the season were not there and the coach wanted to give him an electric shock. This is what often happens in this type of situation and first, it is often the guard who pays the costs. Behind, there were good results against Martigues and Bastia and the situation remained. I felt good and I tried to be as consistent as possible and to contribute as much as possible to the team, unfortunately, the results were not there and we had to do something for the collective.

FM: do you think that Caen's complicated start to the season can be explained by this turbulent summer with the arrival of the Mbappé family at the head of the club? A change of ownership often takes time and could that explain this delay in ignition?

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AM : I don't really know, maybe it played unconsciously from a psychological point of view. Between the sale, the non-sale, it may have had an impact, but afterward, we are big boys and we are armed to ignore this kind of thing, to concentrate on football. Maybe at the beginning it made us think, but behind it, we were sorting things out on the ground. Unfortunately today there were bad results and some details were missed which put us in this situation.

FM: becoming a substitute again is something quite new for you. You had this role at the start of your career before asserting yourself with Cholet then Caen, it must not be easy to manage the end of an ascending period in a career…

AM : I felt good, I continued, I was present, I had good matches, I felt important within the team and I had an important place in the selection with coaches who trusted me. Now this has been called into question and this situation does not suit me. I have already said it before, I am not a substitute goalkeeper, not a bench goalkeeper, at least not now, maybe later. I want to find play time and fun again. I have to leave the club to find a better project for myself and find this starting place in order to return to the selection, continue to play and have an important role there.

“In a year, there is the CAN and there is the World Cup which comes behind in 2026, these selection matches, I can say goodbye to them if I continue to stay on the bench and that is not possible for Me “

FM: you don’t think this could happen in Caen? Don't you think your situation could change over the next few months?

AM : no, no, no, in any case that is not what is likely to happen. I had a discussion with the coach (Nicolas Seube, editor's note) and today the best thing for me is to find another project that will suit me and allow me to advance in my career. In a year, there is a new African Cup in Morocco and there is the World Cup which arrives behind in 2026, there are the qualifying matches which will arrive before. These selection matches, I can say goodbye to them if I continue to stay on the bench and that is not possible for me. It's inconceivable, I can't, I worked very hard to get where I am and I can't give up today. It's also my favorite to play matches on the weekend, to have this adrenaline and this pressure. It was my daily life for two and a half years, I need to find it again to continue to flourish in my career and continue to progress.

FM: how was this change in status received within the selection, whether by coach Vladimir Petkovic or the staff?

AM : I had a discussion with the coach where he told me that the best thing for me was for me to play. Obviously, even without him telling me, I knew it very well. Behind, there are very good goalkeepers who are pushing and who are ready to play for the national team. They are starters in their club and can claim to establish themselves as number one. With the two other goalkeepers selected (Alexis Guendouz and Alexandre Oukidja, editor's note), we have a very good relationship within the selection, that does not prevent the fact that we want to play all three, be starters all three and if I want continue to be, I have to play. I know it very well and the coach told me and that further pushes me to make this choice to leave. I had found a foundation on which to rely, in a career there are ups and downs, currently I have to find a solution to find this guideline, this confidence on a daily basis and that involves matches.

FM: will the sequel take place in France or abroad?

AM : I am open to everything, today I am 27 years old, almost 28 years old and if I have to leave France for the sake of my career, I will do it. If I had to stay in France, I would do that too. In any case, the most important thing for me is to make the best possible choice to win matches, find pleasure and above all a project that suits me to take the steps.