Impetus‘ French editor Jean-Pierre Thiesset spoke exclusively with goalkeeper Katriina Talaslahti who recently signed a two-year deal with D1 Arkema side Le Havre (24/8/23)
Above: Katriina Talaslahti with her new jersey. Photo: Anne Talaslahti.
Katriina Talaslahti, the previous number one goalkeeper helped Fleury to finish fourth in D1 Arkema in the 2021-2022 season. However, she was put on the sidelines for most of the 2022-2023 season without any clear reason except that old keeper Manon Heil came back after her pregnancy.
The lack of playing time made it increasingly hard for Talaslahti to show her skills and talent to prospective clubs during the 2022-2023 season. On a positive note, she was able to use the season to develop her individual skills with the club’s goalkeeper coach to become an even better version of herself as a professional goalkeeper.
The expectation is that Le Havre will put their confidence in Talaslahti next season as they were looking for a solid and younger goalkeeper to join their team. Was this a good move for her? Personally, I think it was the right move because Le Havre is a team that produced a good result in D1 Arkema last season considering that they just moved up from D2 while finishing at the eighth place with high points. Hence, it can be assumed that the team’s goal is to continue to progress in the standing.
“I feel very great and excited about my signing with Le Havre,” the goalkeeper told me. “First of all, I am excited to be able to continue playing in France in D1 Arkema as the league is one of the very top leagues in Europe. Also, Le Havre is a new city and a new experience for me, so I’m looking forward my time there. I think we have a great team, can compete against big teams on the same level, and have a good chance in D1 Arkema to compete for the top tier.
“I feel and hope that next season will be a lot better for me. My goal is to prove myself to everyone as the other goalkeeper is still there, but I believe that I will get my chance to play. Furthermore, Le Havre is a stable and well-organized club backed up by their men’s team which plays in Ligue 1 in France. Also, Le Havre’s staff told me that they will play in the great Océane stadium with a capacity of 25,000.
“This is a very nice stadium for our team to play. This shows us all that Le Havre is making an effort to raise women’s football in France, just like in England, Spain, and Germany since last summer’s 2022 European Championships. I think it is a huge step for a women’s team to play in a stadium like Océane and it will help us to bring more people to watch our games.”
“Before I decided to sign with Le Havre, I had a few opportunities in Italy, Germany, Spain, and some other countries. I compared the leagues and made the final decision to stay in France as I have already played for several years in D1.
“The league is competitive, and it is a very good move for me; it will be challenging but I know it will be a fair challenge with the other goalkeeper, and I will have the opportunity to play. I signed a two-year contract, and it will be an interesting time coming up.
“Of course, I really hope we will do our best in the league. With all the communications with Le Havre before signing, I feel like I am moving into a very professional team with a strong and organized background from the men’s side.” Talaslahti said.
The Finn wanted to stay in D1 Arkema due to its competitiveness and visibility all over the world. She also has the opportunity to show her strength and skills in front of some of the best teams and their best strikers in D1 Arkema. Now, that she is where she wants to be, everything depends on her, and I am sure that she will show that she deserves better than being on the bench.
Talaslahti will join Le Havre with Eva Kouache who she played with during 2019-2020 season at Olympique Lyonnais when they won the 2020 UEFA Women Champions League.
The goalkeeper concluded our talk saying: “I cannot wait to start training session with my new teammates at Le Havre.”
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