The AS Saint-Étienne club officialised the arrival of Chico Lamba, a 22-year-old Portuguese central defender from Arouca. This transfer, hailed by the media Scoutd who named it one of the best defenders of the Euro U21 2025, demonstrates the ambition of ASSE to build its future around promising talents. Lamba, trained at Sporting Portugal and able to evolve both to the left and to the right, was particularly impressed by her physical power, her reading of the game and her serenity at the foot, which earned her a selection in the tournament’s typical team alongside young players like Harvey Elliott.

The arrival of Chico Lamba is part of a new sports strategy for AS Saint-Étienne, led by Kilmer Sport Ventures, which favours intelligent recruitment and focuses on sport and economic added value. The Stéphanois club seeks to strengthen its defensive axis with players of international experience, and Lamba, who has already proven its worth internationally with Portugal, is a major asset in achieving the objective of climb in Ligue 1. Its versatile profile and its ability to secure recovery make it a rare and valuable player in League 2.

This recruitment is also a strong message from AS Saint-Étienne, which wants to demonstrate its ability to attract international talent and to re-emphasize its image with supporters. The arrival of Chico Lamba could allow the formation of a solid central hinge with Maxime Bernauer or Mickaël Nadé, and its contribution could be decisive in the race for promotion. This signature is seen as a signal to competition, confirming ASSE’s commitment to an ambitious and forward-looking recruitment policy.