According to a recent report by The Daily Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur will have to battle it out with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in the race to secure the signature of AFC Ajax shot-stopper Andre Onana this summer. The same source has revealed that Spurs are tracking the Cameroon international after identifying him as a potential replacement for Hugo Lloris, who faces an uncertain future at North London.
Onana’s Spectacular Rise In Dutch Football
The former Barcelona youngster has established himself as a regular member of Erik ten Hag’s starting XI and has shown a remarkable run of consistency with his performances at Amsterdam this season. He has been involved in 39 matches for the Dutch giants this term, conceding 37 goals while securing 15 clean sheets across all competitions which highlights just how much he has matured as a goalkeeper. With over 3500 minutes of playing time under his belt this season, Onana has made himself one of the first names in ten Hag’s team sheet these days.
The Cameroon international is usually quite tidy with his ball-distribution after completing 79% and 85.7% of his attempted passes in the Eredivisie and the UEFA Europa League respectively (stats via whoscored). However, the jury is still out on whether he can perform at such a high level if given a chance to feature in the Premier League week in week out in the coming seasons.
Onana has gone on to earn 15 senior caps for the Cameroonian national team after making his debut for his country in an international friendly versus Gabon back in 2016. He will once again play a crucial role for his nation in next year’s African Cup of Nations after failing to leave a lasting impression in the last edition of the prestigious competition.
What Will The Cameroonian Custodian Bring To The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Onana is a well-rounded keeper who has no weaknesses in his game as such. He can get down quickly and use his lightning-quick reflexes to pull off some world-class stops at the back. The Eredivisie sensation is also a pretty good handler of the ball and can make himself big when attempting to make a save. He is usually a commanding figure inside his own penalty area when defending the opposition set-pieces and can cover a lot of distance with his clearances as well.
A complete package like Onana is precisely the type of goalkeeper Jose Mourinho should consider signing before the start of the new season. He will be an upgrade over Hugo Lloris, Paulo Gazzaniga and Michel Vorm based on his current form and reliability which makes him a prime target for Spurs to pursue this summer.
The Cameroon international will not only add a lot of quality to the Tottenham backline but also serve as a long-term solution to their goalkeeping problems from this campaign. The London outfit has shipped in 40 goals in 29 league matches thus far which has derailed their hopes of securing UEFA Champions League football for next season. Therefore, it is no secret that they need a new keeper who can find some consistency in between the sticks to match Mourinho’s defence-first style of playing football.
At 24, Onana is about to embark upon the prime stage of his playing career which the North London giants could look to benefit from over the next few years. However, it is uncertain whether he will be able to cope with the physicality and high intensity of Premier League football if he does end up making a switch to the English capital later this year.
