Épisode 7, Suivi de carrière – Alfons Sampsted veut retrouver les sommets

Cet exercice 2024-2025 a été particulièrement éprouvant pour Alfons Sampsted. Pas toujours dans le groupe avec Birmingham City, il s’est blessé en sélection et a connu une nouvelle saison en dents de scie. Il a néanmoins connu de belles émotions en club avec un titre en League One. Il nous a donné son ressenti depuis Pescara, où il était en vacances.

(English version below)

Tout d’abord, peux-tu revenir sur ta saison 2024-2025, dans ses grandes lignes ?

Si on la prend étape par étape, j’ai signé à Birmingham City en août, au tout début de la saison. Je suis arrivé juste après le premier match, donc je l’ai manqué. Ensuite, j’ai été dans la rotation entre août et novembre. Puis je me suis blessé avec la sélection nationale, j’ai eu une rupture d’un ligament de la cheville. Ça m’a tenu éloigné des terrains pendant près de deux mois, de mi-novembre à janvier. Je suis revenu en février.

Mon premier match en tant que titulaire en League One était contre Stevenage (2-1 le 11 mars 2025) : j’ai provoqué un penalty et j’ai été élu homme du match. J’ai envoyé un signal fort. Après ça, j’ai à nouveau alterné, mais j’ai quand même enchaîné six matchs, jusqu’à celui contre Peterborough, avant la finale de Coupe. Ensuite, j’ai été sorti du groupe, puis réintégré. J’ai même marqué un but.

Mais dans l’ensemble, ça a été une saison fantastique : on a gagné le championnat, on a atteint la finale de l’EFL Trophy. Dommage qu’on n’ait pas pu l’emporter à Wembley, mais ça reste une saison exceptionnelle. On a même battu le record de points avec 111 unités !

En championnat, Birmingham a survolé la concurrence. C’est une saison historique…

C’était exceptionnel. On a démarré très fort, personne ne pouvait nous arrêter. On jouait bien et on dominait quasiment dans tous nos matchs. Je suis fier de ce qu’on a accompli collectivement. Et maintenant, j’ai un titre de League One à mon palmarès, avec un record de points en prime.

Avais-tu la sensation de revivre ce que tu avais connu à Bodø/Glimt ?

Oui et non. C’était une saison très réussie, donc à ce niveau-là, oui, ça ressemblait à Glimt. Mais la grande différence, c’est que là-bas, on jouait aussi l’Europe, donc il y avait beaucoup plus de longs déplacements.

En FA Cup et en EFL Cup, vous avez été éliminés tôt, mais par des clubs de Premier League…

Oui, contre Fulham et Newcastle, mais on a livré de bons matchs. On a montré qu’on pouvait rivaliser avec ces équipes. C’était une bonne expérience et je pense qu’on a gagné en confiance.

Vous étiez favoris du EFL Trophy, mais vous avez échoué en finale… un échec ?

Oui, on voulait vraiment gagner ce trophée. Ça a été frustrant, parce qu’on avait fait tout le chemin jusqu’à Wembley… et on n’a pas été à la hauteur ce jour-là. Notre performance n’était pas bonne, tout simplement. Ce qui est encore plus rageant, c’est qu’on avait battu cette même équipe (Peterborough) quelques jours plus tôt, chez eux. On sait qu’on peut les battre. Mais on ne l’a pas fait quand ça comptait vraiment.

À titre personnel, tu n’as joué que 23 matchs sur 59 possibles. Quel regard portes-tu sur ta saison ?

Bien sûr, j’aurais aimé jouer davantage. Avant ma blessure, j’étais sur une bonne dynamique. L’absence a duré longtemps et ça m’a coupé dans mon élan. Revenir dans l’équipe après ça, c’était un vrai défi. Je considère que c’est quand même un succès : j’ai réussi à revenir de blessure, à rester en forme, et à bien jouer quand j’en ai eu l’occasion, même si je n’ai jamais vraiment retrouvé une place régulière dans le onze.

Tu étais en concurrence avec Ethan Laird et Taylor Gardner-Hickman. Tu es celui qui a le moins joué…

L’équipe tournait bien, donc il n’y avait pas de raison majeure de faire des changements. D’un point de vue personnel, je pense que j’aurais mérité de jouer davantage, mais ce n’est pas moi qui fais l’équipe.

Tu marques ton premier but le 21 avril… et tu ne joues plus ensuite. Sais-tu pourquoi ?

Non. J’ai fait ce qu’il fallait sur le terrain. Je n’ai pas vraiment d’explication. Mon seul objectif maintenant est de revenir encore plus fort lors de la pré-saison et de me battre pour devenir titulaire.

Tu as été testé en défense centrale, comment tu l’as vécu ?

Franchement, ça s’est bien passé. J’ai pu garder le contrôle, j’ai senti que je pouvais gérer. Ce n’est pas mon poste de prédilection — je préfère être latéral — mais j’ai fait le job et on a gagné les deux matchs. Donc je ne vais pas me plaindre !

Tu as officiellement signé à Birmingham City, quittant Twente. Pas de doutes malgré cette saison difficile ?

Non, ça faisait partie de l’accord. On avait déjà décidé que je signerais ici. Je suis prêt à me battre pour ma place.

Tu penses pouvoir jouer davantage la saison prochaine, même en Championship ?

Oui, je pense que j’ai montré que je peux jouer dans cette équipe. Mon objectif est clair : devenir titulaire au poste de latéral droit. Ça demandera beaucoup de travail mais je suis prêt pour cela.

L’Islande descend en Ligue C de la Nations League, c’est un loupé ?

Je n’étais pas dans le groupe pour les matchs contre le Kosovo, mais oui, c’est une déception. On aurait préféré rester en Ligue B pour affronter des équipes de meilleur niveau. Maintenant, il faut se concentrer sur les qualifications pour la Coupe du Monde. On ne peut pas revenir en arrière.

Jouer contre des équipes plus faibles, c’est peut-être une chance de gagner plus souvent…

C’est une façon optimiste de voir les choses. Pour progresser, il vaut mieux affronter les meilleures équipes, je pense qu’il aurait été préférable de rester en Ligue B.

Tu n’as joué que deux matchs sur huit de Ligue des Nations. En octobre, tu étais convoqué mais tu n’as pas joué. Quelle était ton état d’esprit en repartant ?

C’est frustrant. Comme n’importe quel joueur, je veux être sur le terrain mais ce n’est pas moi qui décide. J’avais vraiment le sentiment que je pouvais aider l’équipe.

Tu t’es dit : « Pourquoi m’avoir convoqué ? J’aurais pu jouer à Birmingham… » ?

C’est facile de dire ça après coup. Quand tu es appelé en la sélection nationale, tu ressens de la fierté. Tu veux représenter ton pays donc tu réponds présent.

Le nouveau sélectionneur, Arnar Gunnlaugsson, t’a-t-il contacté après son arrivée ?

Non, je n’ai eu aucun contact avec lui.

Tu n’as pas été appelé deux fois de suite. Sais-tu pourquoi ?

Non. Je ne l’ai pas eu au téléphone, aucune explication.

Ce silence est frustrant ?

Oui. Très.

Tu retrouves Willum Þór Willumsson, que tu n’avais plus côtoyé en club depuis 2016. Heureux ?

C’est incroyable, on habite à côté maintenant ! Aller à l’entraînement chaque jour ensemble, c’est comme travailler avec son meilleur pote. J’espère qu’on pourra continuer ensemble encore longtemps.

Nouvelle ville, nouveau pays, t’épanouis-tu à Birmingham ?

Absolument, je m’adapte bien à la vie anglaise. J’habite une petite ville sympa, j’ai ma routine… je me sens bien.

Tu passes du temps avec Willum en dehors ?

Oui, beaucoup. Si ton meilleur ami était dans la même ville que toi, tu ferais pareil ! On sort dîner, on va en ville, on trouve toujours quelque chose à faire.

Ton meilleur match de la saison ?

Contre Stevenage, le 11 mars. Je provoque un penalty, je fais un grand match. C’était mon retour, et je voulais montrer que j’étais déjà à 100 %.

Ton plus beau souvenir ?

Il y en a plusieurs. Certains matchs à domicile avec une ambiance incroyable. Il y a aussi le moment où Lukas Jutkiewicz marque le dernier but contre Barnsley (victoire 6-2)… le stade explose. Et évidemment, soulever le trophée !

Sur un plan personnel, marquer mon premier but et fêter ça avec les supporters à l’extérieur, c’était fort. Je pense que ce n’est que le début. Avec la montée, on va jouer dans des stades encore plus grands.

30 000 personnes en D3, c’est fou non ?

Oui, mais ça montre la culture du club. Les supporters sont toujours là, dans les bons comme les mauvais moments. Ils remplissent le stade à chaque match et créent une ambiance de folie.

Tu vis à Birmingham, ville d’Aston Villa, qui brille en ce moment. Qu’est-ce que ça vous fait, au sein du vestiaire ?

En tant que joueurs, on aimerait bien jouer contre eux, juste pour voir où on en est… et savoir qui est le vrai patron de la ville.

Tu as été formé à Breiðablik. Ce club peut-il retrouver l’Europe cette année ?

C’est possible. Ces dernières années, le football islandais a progressé. Les meilleures équipes arrivent à rivaliser un peu plus en Europe. J’espère qu’ils trouveront leur rythme avant le début des compétitions européennes.

(English version)

This 2024-2025 season has been particularly challenging for Alfons Sampsted. Not always in the squad for Birmingham City, he suffered an injury while playing for the national team and had another up-and-down season. However, he experienced some thrills at club level, winning a League One title. He gave us his thoughts from Pescara, where he was on vacation.

To begin, can you tell me about your 2024-2025 season? From every point of view.

If we just go through it step by step. I signed with Birmingham City in August, the start of the season. I arrived after their first game, so I missed the first game. I’ve been playing in and out of the team for August, September, October, November. Until I got injured with the national team, I ruptured a ligament in my ankle. That kept me out for almost two months, almost full November, December and January. And then I was back playing around February. I played little bit more than the time I was injured basically. Then I came back against Stevenage. I got a penalty, been man of the match. So it’s a strong come-back from the injury. Then it was a little bit in and out for the rest of the season. I played six times in a row until a very important game against Peterborough. I’ve been backed out for a game then back in the team again when I scored and then backed out. But for us, as a team, that was very good. We won the league, we went to the final in the EFL Trophy. It’s a shame that we couldn’t win in Wembley, but it just wasn’t meant to be. All around a great season. We set the point record, with 111 points.

Let’s first talk about Birmingham and the team. In League One, you crushed the competition, even setting a new all-league record with 111 points…

It’s been exceptional. We started out strong with no one stopping us. We played good football and we were just dominant in all the games… For my part, a little bit up because when you’re not the starter in the team, there’s not a big reason to change the team when you’re winning a lot. We did exceptionally well and I’m just proud of the team and the achievements. It’s also fun to have a  League One title on my back now and the points record. 

From a team point of view, did it felt like when you were in Bodø/Glimt?

Yes and no, it was a successful season for sure and it felt like Bodø/Glimt like that. Maybe the biggest difference was Bodø/Glimt played Europe so there was a bit more travelling.

In the FA Cup and EFL Cup, you were eliminated relatively early, but by Premier League teams. What was the general feeling after these eliminations?

For both Fulham and Newcastle games, we actually did quite a decent game. The feeling we got from that was, we have the capacity to compete with teams on a highest level. We didn’t win, and we’ve been knocked out of the cup. All in all, it was a good experience and fun to measure our team against the top of the teams. I think we’ve earned a lot.

I think you probably wanted to win the EFL Trophy, you were clearly the team best equipped to win it. You failed in the final, is that a failure for the club?

I think all of us players wanted to win that one. It was a long journey to that Wembley final and not being able to win it was frustrating for sure. And I think we all wanted to do better. Our performance wasn’t there on the day, honestly. We weren’t at our best. It’s just extra frustrating because we beat that same team a couple days earlier. I played against Peterborough and we beat them away from home. So we know we can beat them. Not being able to do when it mattered a lot was frustrating, to say the least.

When it comes to assessing this season, from a team perspective, was it a success or not entirely? 

Our goal was to get back into the Championship and we did so. So we managed to get our number one goal. But since we managed to make it to the EFL Cup final, I think all of us wanted to win that one as well. It would have gave a bit of a better feeling.

Now let’s talk about your season personally. Out of 59 possible matches, you only played 23, and often not all of them. What is your assessment of that season?

Obviously I wanted to play more but looking at it realistically, I was in a decent rhythm, routine and I was coming on quite a lot. Then I got my injury, I was out for two months. I missed 15 or 16 games. Getting back into the team after that was quite a challenge, to be honest. It was a success, because I managed to get back from the injury and stay fit for the rest of the season. I’ve performed when I played, but I didn’t really manage to get a full comeback into the team.

You faced some stiff competition; there were three of you for the right-back position, along with Ethan Laird and Taylor Gardner-Hickman. You were the one who played the least. Do you know why?

The team was doing well and there’s not often a big reason to change but I managed to get in a couple games and I picked up a penalty and man of the match in one of them by scoring. From a personal point of view, I felt like I could have played more and I deserved to play more but it’s not me who makes that decision.

Personally, I felt that sometimes, no matter how well you performed, you couldn’t establish yourself in the squad for long. On April 21st, you scored your first goal with BCFC, you won, and yet you weren’t in the squad for the last four matches of the season… Do you know why ?

No, I come in and I perform when I play. I don’t have any explanation to give you but all that’s in my mind is come back fit for the pre-season and challenge for that spot even more than I’ve done already.

You told me when you signed here that you would have the opportunity to play big matches, especially in the Cup. Unfortunately, when the opportunities presented themselves, you barely got to play. (No final, on the bench against Newcastle, fifteen minutes against Fulham) Why didn’t you get your chance in these big matches?

No, I don’t know why. It’s not me who pick the team. If it was me, I probably would have picked myself.

You were tested as a central defender. During your two starts in the middle, two wins, one clean sheet. It was quite a success, what do you remember?

It was alright, it’s a position where I can remain all the control and I can do it quite well in my own way. It didn’t feel like any problem, it was just a nice way to get going after my injury.

Have you liked playing there?

I’ve played there a little bit before and it’s alright, it’s not 100 % my position. If I could pick I would be fullback. But I feel like I delivered a good job and we won both games so I can’t really say otherwise.

You mentioned in the previous episode your desire to sign up here long-term, it’s now official since you’ve permanently left Twente for Birmingham City. This season wasn’t easy, though. Didn’t you hesitate before signing ?

That wasn’t really a part of the conversation. We already made a deal that I would sign. I’m gonna fight for my place here.

So that was already clear that you will stay longer last season ?

It wasn’t all clear, but quite early on I knew it was just a long deal. I knew it before before you guys knew it.

Do you think that next season, despite promotion to the Championship, you’ll be able to play more?

I believe so. I believe in it and I think I can play in this team for sure and I think I’ve showed that. So now I’m just making sure to do everything that when I come back that I’m up on the list. I want to be the first choice in the right full back. That’s going to demand a lot of work and it’s the work I’m trying to put it now.

Now let’s talk about the national team. The team failed in the Nations League and dropped to League C. From the outside, I have the feeling there was room to do much better. What do you think?

I wasn’t in the squad for those  games against Kosovo but it’s a shame. It would have been better to stay up in League B with better games, bigger chance of getting the side ways into the big tournaments. Now it’s just all about preparing the team for the World Cup qualification. We can’t change it now and I don’t think we were happy with the performance.

Don’t you think it could be a blessing in disguise? It might help you win more matches…

That’s the optimist way of looking at it. Sure, if you go down you get worse teams in a way and you can get back what you need but also you get better by playing good games against great teams. So to be honest I don’t think it’s better to go down now. I think it would have been better if we managed to stay in League B.

For your part, it was complicated; you only played two of the eight matches. In October, you were called up but didn’t play. What was your state of mind when you left that training camp?

You would probably get the same answer if you ask any football player. It’s just frustrating, you want to play. But the difficult part about it is it’s not me who make the decision who’s on the pitch then I really feel like I could have played and I could have helped. It’s a delicate balance but I want to play more.

At that point, do you wonder why he selected you? « Why did I come? Maybe I could have had my chance with Birmingham. »

Obviously it’s easy to be wise afterwards to say : « I should have stayed at home and I could have played with Birmingham ». It’s easy to say that, but in that moment when the national team says she wants me, I’m just proud and want to represent my country. Then you go and you meet up with the national team. You don’t want to say no to them because it’s all about pride to represent your country.

Arnar Gunnlaugsson took over as Iceland’s coach. Did you speak with him after his arrival?

No, I haven’t spoken to him.

For the second time in a row, the coach didn’t call you up. Do you know why?

No. I didn’t receive a phone call from him so no explanation.

Isn’t it frustrating to have not any response on why you are now not in the team?

Yeah ! Yeah, it is.

On a more positive note, you played with Willum Þór Willumsson at club level for the first time since 2016, when you were at Breiðablik. How did that make you feel?

That was amazing. We live close to each other now so being able to go to training every day together is so cool. It’s like working on the same project with your buddy. I really hope we can do it so for a long time.

New country, new city, are you enjoying your time in Birmingham?

Yeah, it’s been really nice actually. I’ve been adjusting to the life in England and so far I’ve just been quite happy with it. I found a nice little town to live in and I just feel like I got my routine going and that’s kind of what you need to feel at home.

Do you often do some fun things outside with Willum?

We hang out a lot. If you had your best friend in the town with you, you would always hang out a lot too. We also do diners and we go downtown. We always figure out something fun to do. So we manage to make the most of it.

Do you think Breiðablik can reach again a European Cup this year ?

Yeah ! It’s obviously a possibility. I think they’ve managed to show the last couple of years that Icelandic football is on the rise. The best teams are able to compete a bit more in Europe. I really hope that they find their rhythm before the European starts.

What was your best game of the season?

It was probably when I got the penalty. It was against Stevenage (2-1 on March 11th). I had a great game and it was the first game back. I felt like I made a small statement that I’m fit again and to put some pressure on the coach to give me more opportunities.

What is your fondest memory of this season?

There are a couple, we had some very fun moments. A couple home games where the atmosphere was amazing but also being on the pitch when Lukas Jutkiewicz scored the last goal in a win (6-2) against Barnsley. The crowd went wild but also lifting the trophy together… On a personal level, scoring my first goal was also fun, being able to celebrate with the away fans. So I had a lot of them. I think it’s only going to get better for me as we’re going to be playing in bigger stadiums.

You are in third division but you play in front of near 30,000 people. Isn’t that crazy?

Yeah, but that also just shows the culture of the club. They are there to support both in good and bad times. They just feed the stadium every single time and they really manage to make sure that the atmosphere is just top every time.

As you are in the same city as Aston Villa, how is the atmosphere? Right now they are at the top, but how do you feel that in the squad?

As the players, we would really like a game against them just to see how do we stand against them and to see who is the boss of the city.