Andre Onana would be the perfect long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris
According to Football London, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and West Ham are set to fight it out for Ajax shot-stopper Andre Onana next summer, with Spanish giants Barcelona also expressing their desire to re-sign their former youth player.
The 22-year-old Cameroonian has impressed with his consistently impressive displays between the sticks for Ajax this season, keeping a total of 22 clean sheets from 38 appearances in all competitions. Onana rose through the ranks of Samuel Eto’o foundation back in his homeland before joining Barcelona’s youth system in 2010.
Having failed to make it to the first-team over the course of five seasons, he switched boats and signed for Ajax in 2015. After making 39 appearances for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie, Onana made his first-team debut in 2016 and he hasn’t looked back since then, establishing himself as a regular between the sticks for the Dutch giants. The Cameroonian has made a total of 122 appearances for Ajax across all competitions, keeping a total of 55 clean sheets.
Standing at 6ft.3 inches with a towering frame, Onana has a good reach for a goalkeeper which allows him to get his hands to the ball with relative ease, making him an excellent shot-stopper from both long and close range.
As a matter of fact, he has earned rave reviews for his wonderful reflexes and his ability to keep out penalty kicks. The 22-year-old has a good command over his penalty area, although he looks indecisive at times while dealing with crosses delivered into the box. Onana likes to punch the ball away to safety more often than not but his distribution still has some scope for improvement.
The Cameroonian has made a total of 52 saves in the Eredivisie this term, out of which 33 have come from inside the penalty box. To sum it up, he is a really promising goalkeeper with a massive potential who can develop into one of the world’s best in the years to come.
To put things into perspective, he would be an ideal signing for all the aforementioned London clubs but Spurs might bag a massive coup if they can beat their rivals to sign the young shot-stopper in the summer.
Hugo Lloris has been Tottenham’s No.1 between the sticks for quite a long time but the Lilywhites need to plan for the long-term. The Frenchman has had a good season so far but he has let the team down at times with some ordinary displays between the sticks. Paulo Gazzaniga has responded well whenever he has been called into action by Mauricio Pochettino but the Lilywhites need to replace the ageing Michel Vorm.
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And Onana, with his experience of playing in the Europa League and Champions League, certainly fits the bill. Still only 22, the Cameroonian is yet to enter his prime as a goalkeeper and he certainly has the talent and the temperament to replace Lloris in the longer run. That said, they should waste no time in making a move for him next summer.
