A man that fears no other man, a great passer of the ball and a decent shot-stopper. Andre Onana is looking like he’s edging closer to securing his move to the Premier League, as personal terms are agreed, it’s just a matter of time for the fee to be agreed between the clubs.
What makes Andre Onana so good that Man United stabbed David de Gea in the back after 12 years of stellar service and push for his reported €60m fee? Is he really that good? How will he impact the squad, should the deal go through? We are aiming to answer all these questions and more in the blog so make sure to stick until the end. Stay up to date with what’s relevant in the world of football with LV BET Sports Blog.
Is Andre Onana good?
The Cameroon international keeper is well known to be good with his feet, confident and able to pick out passes that help create space for the ball to move forward. It’s not passing for passing’s sake, it’s all planned and required in a well-functioning system of play. Onana loves to get the ball and venture outside of his box, trying to bait the opposing attacker to press him; why is that?
When a keeper is confident and able to push outside of the box, he creates a numerical superiority, so let’s say the opposing team is lined up with two up front, both centre backs stretch wide, and the keeper pushes on, creating a 3 v 2 situation, facilitating the initial phase of thebuild-upp. The Champions League final was a great example of how a keeper of Onana’s calibre can alter how the opposition press and how they set up.
Pep Guardiola had a heap of praise for Onana, ‘’It’s difficult, when you have that keeper, to high press properly. For the way they play, Onana is an exceptional goalkeeper to take the position to build-up. Really, really good. The link to Lautaro, Lukaku, Dzeko, they are a master to keep the ball. With United, the long ball with Rashford and the other one, they don’t keep it. These guys, they keep it, and after the link it, they run.’’
That is a confirmation that his ability and confidence on the ball to push forward almost to the midfield poses a tactical conundrum for the opposition, who ask themselves: “Should I press or should I keep station?” Keeping the ball and controlling play is a huge factor on which United need to improve last season. David de Gea has saved United on countless occasions, but by clunking the ball away just gives possession away and generates more chances for the opposition.
Apart from the passing ability, he is a decent shot stopper, obviously, he’s a good keeper so that is required. He also knows the system with which Erik ten Hag loves to play, so that makes a total of three players that already know and are accustomed to his style of play after Lisandro Martinez and Antony.
Is €60m a fair price?
Well, Ederson and Allison cost City and Liverpool a similar fee when they secured their Premier League status. Allison was bought for €62.50m, and Ederson was bought for €40m. The price tag required by Inter is €60m, and they are holding onto that price tag even if United are trying to lower the asking price. Onana’s market value at the moment is €35m, as indicated by the website transfermarkt.com.
Inter are banking on the fact that Onana played an instrumental role in the team that reached the Champions League final, and are hoping to extract as much as possible from this transfer. Just a year ago, Onana signed for Inter on a free transfer, so any fee agreed with United will be 100% profit.
When it comes to transfers and Premier League clubs are the ideal customers, the price tends to go up due to their financial ability and if it’s Manchester United the price goes even higher. It is up to Manchester United to break that trend, but it looks like Inter will have their €60m, as Erik ten Hag wants his man to be ready for the pre-season in America.
Andre Onana FAQ’s
What Nationality is Andre Onana ?
Cameroonian
Why does Andre Onana have a gap in his playing career ?
Andre Onana was banned from football for nine months after a drugs test found banned diuretic furosemide in his urine.
How many clean sheets did Andre Onana have with Inter?
Eight in Serie A
What are Andre Onana’s best attributes?
Passing, distribution and command of his box