Why Chelsea should swoop in for Ajax’s £35m-rated Andre Onana

According to a report from The Telegraph, Ajax have slapped a price tag of £35m on goalkeeper Andre Onana, who is on the radars of Chelsea.

Having started out at the Samuel Eto’o academy in Cameroon, Onana joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2010. The shot-stopper rose rapidly through the ranks in Catalonia, but ended up moving to Ajax in 2015 in search of first-team chances.

Upon arriving in the Netherlands, Onana linked up with the Ajax’s U21 side initially before becoming a first-team regular in 2016/17. Till date, the Cameroonian has accumulated 178 appearances for the club, keeping 74 clean sheets in the process.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have fared decently in their first season under club legend Frank Lampard. Working with a young squad, the Blues boss has done a solid job, helping them to 4th place in the PL table.

Having not signed any players over the last two transfer windows, Chelsea need to strengthen their ranks in the summer. Both the attacking and defensive departments are in need of bolstering given the lack of quality depth in both areas.

The Kepa Conundrum

The goalkeeping department has also emerged as a concern for Lampard. Kepa Arrizabalaga hasn’t quite done enough to justify his arrival.

The Spaniard has made several high-profile errors this season and hasn’t looked good enough. This led to Lampard axing him from the first-team for a stretch of games in February. In total, Kepa has managed just 8 clean sheets in 33 appearances in all competitions this season, conceding 43 goals.

Second-choice goalkeeper Willy Caballero is 38 years old and is in the final few months of his contract with Chelsea. He too didn’t do all that well when given a chance, managing just one clean sheet in nine matches this term.

This situation warrants a new goalkeeping addition at Stamford Bridge. Onana would be a viable choice for Chelsea, especially with Lampard considering the prospect of offloading Kepa this summer (h/t Football.london).

Onana has been a regular first-team member at Ajax for four seasons in a row, gathering plenty of experience at just 24 years of age.

The Cameroonian was an integral part of the team that made it to the UEFA Europa League final in 2016/17 and the UEFA Champions League semi-final last season. He also helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title and the Dutch Cup in the 2018/19 season.

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Onana has been in fine form this term as well, having managed 15 clean sheets in 39 matches in all competitions, conceding just 37 goals – less than a goal per game. His form has been key for Ajax winning the Dutch Super Cup this term and they are on top of the Eredivisie.

With Kepa not performing consistently enough and Caballero well beyond his prime, Chelsea could certainly use adding another quality goalkeeper like Onana to their ranks.

Verdict

Onana has proven to be a top performer for Ajax over the past few seasons. With Chelsea lacking a consistent presence in goal, adding the Cameroonian would resolve that issue for Lampard & co. Hence, the Blues should go all out for the former Barcelona academy man.