Benin goalkeeper Dava David Agossa has joined French club Bourges FC with a clear ambition: to use the move as a platform to return to the senior national team.
The 23-year-old has signed for Bourges after a career that has taken him through Benin, Senegal, Djibouti and several French clubs, and hopes his latest move will help him earn a recall to the Cheetahs.
Bourges FC announced Agossa’s arrival on social media, bringing the former Benin Under-20 and Under-23 international to a club with ambitions of further development.
The goalkeeper has previously played for SAS Épinal, FC Gueugnon, Stade Beaucairois and Girondins de Bordeaux in France, following earlier experience with Real Sport de Parakou in Benin and a spell in Djibouti’s top division.
Agossa’s football education began between Senegal and Benin. He spent much of his formative years in Senegal before returning to Benin, where he joined Real Sport de Parakou and took an important step into senior football.
His time at the Beninese club gave him the opportunity to establish himself as a regular starter over an entire season and provided the foundation for a career that would eventually take him abroad.
A move to Djibouti followed before France became the next major destination in his development.
Agossa subsequently played for a number of French clubs, gaining experience in different environments and adapting to different demands. His latest move to Bourges represents another opportunity to establish himself and continue progressing.
The goalkeeper also has considerable experience with Benin’s youth national teams.
He made 29 appearances across the Under-20 and Under-23 levels and represented his country in several international competitions.
Those experiences included the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Under-23 AFCON qualifying, the WAFU B competition and the Francophonie Games in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Now, the goalkeeper wants to turn that youth international experience into a return to the senior Cheetahs squad.
Agossa joins Bourges FC at a club whose majority shareholder is Senegalese football star Sadio Mané. The goalkeeper believes the club’s ambitions and environment can provide the right conditions for another step forward in his career.
“The club’s project really appealed to me. I wanted to join an environment where I could continue to develop, face competition, work hard every day, and above all, have the opportunity to take the next step in my career. It’s also a club with big ambitions for the coming years, and I think it’s a project I can truly be a part of. That’s what made the difference in my decision.”
For Agossa, the move is therefore about more than simply finding another club.
After gaining experience across several countries and levels of football, he now has the opportunity to compete for a place at Bourges while continuing to develop as a goalkeeper.
His international ambitions remain an important part of that journey.
Having previously represented Benin extensively at youth level, Agossa is hoping his performances in France will eventually convince the national-team selectors to give him another opportunity with the senior side.
His route back to the Cheetahs will not be straightforward, but the goalkeeper believes the environment at Bourges can help him prepare for that challenge.
