As the clock continues to count down to the 2023/24 Premier League season – which kicks off on 11th August with the Friday evening clash between Burnley and Manchester City – the Summer Transfer window continues to gather pace, with fans consulting the top sports news sites on a daily basis for information on their favourite team
Always one of the most exciting times of year for supporters in general, and punters assessing the excellent odds on offer at the best New betting sites for sports, the 2023 window hasn’t disappointed, with several big-name, big-fee, transfers already hitting the headlines.
One of the least surprising of those transfers now appears to be drawing to a conclusion, as Manchester United finally look set to confirm the man they see as their new Number 1.
The End of an Era for De Gea
The need for change between the sticks stems from the fact that United and long-time keeper David de Gea were unable to agree on a new deal to keep the Spanish international at the club. In the end, with his previous contract running down this summer, de Gea announced that he would be seeking a new challenge.
Whilst it is hard to deny that errors had begun to sneak into the game of the 32-year-old stopper in recent seasons, he still departs Old Trafford with an impressive body of work – the headline act amongst an array of impressive stats being his club record 190 clean sheets.
With the departure of de Gea, Manchester United’s goalkeeping options immediately began to look a little thin on the ground. The January loan signing of Martin Dubravka didn’t lead to the long-term solution many may have hoped for, and with the Slovakian number 1 now back at his parent club of Newcastle, the Red Devils were left with Dean Henderson, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, and 37-year-old Tom Heaton as the only senior goalkeeping options. No surprise then, that Erik ten Hag has decided to act.
Onana the Man for the Job
From a raft of international quality keepers linked with the club almost since the previous season ended, ten Hag has turned to a man he knows extremely well – Cameroon international Andre Onana.
Before joining Inter Milan, 27-year-old Onana was based in the Eredivisie with Dutch giants Ajax, amassing 214 appearances for the Amsterdam-based club during his seven-year stint. And the man in charge for the bulk of that time was, of course, none other than Eric ten Hag, who managed Ajax between 2017 and 2022 and departed for Manchester United a mere three months before Onana made the switch to Inter Milan.
Why Onana?
In addition to viewing Onana as a safer pair of hands – and the 34 cap keeper is certainly an admirable shot stopper – what likely attracted ten Hag to Onana is his ability with his feet. Extremely comfortable on the ball and with an excellent range of passing, Onana is a perfect example of the type of sweeper-keeper which has shown such an upward trend in the global game in recent seasons. Able to keep clean sheets and act as the springboard for attacks, he looks set to prove a hit with the Old Trafford faithful.
Five Year Deal
Whilst the club and player still need to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s”, it is anticipated that Onana will sign a five-year deal for an initial fee of £43.8m, plus an additional £3.4m in performance-related add-ons. Expected to complete his medical this week, he should arrive in time to join the club for the tail end of their pre-season tour of the US.