According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, Premier League giants Chelsea have been urged by winter signing Hakim Ziyech to move for the services of Cameroonian international goalkeeper Andre Onana in the summer.
The Ajax shot-stopper has begun to make a real name for himself in the European footballing scene over the last couple of years, and the Moroccan trickster is said to be attempting to persuade the Blues into acquiring the shot-stopper in the summer.
Ziyech, himself has already signed a contract at Chelsea that is set to commence at the end of the current league campaign, and he was bought by the Blues for a relatively small fee in the region of £37m. The report suggests that Ziyech is actually very close to Andre Onana and that the Cameroonian is also on the lookout for a move to the Premier League. It has been claimed that either of Tottenham or Chelsea would be the youngster’s destination choices.
What Has The Blues Keeping Situation Been This Season?
Chelsea signed Spanish youngster Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Club for a record fee ahead of the start of last season, when the Blues were urgently in the market for a goalkeeper. Although Kepa had his fair share of doubters over the first year, the Spaniard had begun to make a name for himself at Stamford Bridge. This year though, he showed various signs of a lack of quality and was hence mercilessly dropped by Lampard midway through the campaign.
He was replaced by Argentine veteran Willy Caballero as the first choice for a few fixtures, after which the Spaniard was eased back into the team for a cup fixture against Liverpool. The triple save Kepa made to keep the Reds out in the first-half was the stuff of legend, while he also put in a commanding display between the sticks after that. In the last weekend’s tie, Lampard started the Spaniard again, and he put in yet another good shift against Everton.
Would Going For Andre Onana Be A Smart Move By Chelsea?
Despite the various negative signs that came up at the start of the season, it must be conceded that Kepa is still young and has acres of room for improvement. The Blues boasted one of the best keepers in the Premier League for many years in Petr Cech, and it’s safe to say that Kepa still has a massive part to play in the functionality of the club.
A closer look at the Chelsea youngster’s performances will showcase that his levels have undoubtedly dropped from last season, as he’s only made 43 saves all campaign. With a goal conceded per game ratio of more than 1.2, it’s clear that the Spaniard has various areas to strengthen on before regaining the fans’ confidence.
With that said though, his display in the recent cup victory against Liverpool showed him in a new light, meaning that adding yet another promising young goalkeeper to their ranks at this point would be unnecessary. This is especially true because Andre Onana would likely cost a considerable amount of money to acquire as well.
