Tottenham Hotspur’s less than impressive start to the league campaign this season might push Mauricio Pochettino into the transfer market yet again in January but it certainly will in the next summer.
Amidst a number of other rumours, there are claims from the Netherlands that he now wants to replace the experience but waning impact of Hugo Lloris in goal with the exuberance of Ajax star Andre Onana.
Dutch news outfit De Telegraph recently ran a story claiming that Spurs have joined the likes of Manchester United and PSG in pursuit of the 23-year-old.
Is he the right man for the club?
Andre Onana And His Rise To Fame
Born and brought up in Cameroon, Onana was part of the Barcelona academy as a kid but joined Ajax after failing to break into the first team in his five years in Spain.
He made his senior debut for Ajax in 2016 and impressed instantly, cementing a place in the first team.
Onana made his international debut in the same year and is now an established presence at the back for Erik ten Hag.
Known for his composed demeanour and ability to stay calm under pressure, Onana is a ball-playing goalkeeper, who is still learning the trade.
He is an excellent shot-stopper with impressive reflexes and has pulled off some miraculous saves for the Dutch giants in the last couple of seasons.
Onana also has massive experience for his age with 110 Eredivisie appearances to add to 43 European appearances and 14 international caps on his resume.
The 23-year old needs to work on dominating his box but at his age, he will surely improve and is a superb option for a club in the Premier League.
Should Tottenham Hotspur Make A Move for Andre Onana?
The report from De Telegraph also suggested that Onana will cost around £35m next summer, which is a fair price for his potential.
Pochettino wants Andre Onana to replace Hugo Lloris in the first team but that will mean that Spurs needs to find a suitor for the French international before the end of the season.
Lloris, currently sidelined with an injury, has not been at his best for more than a year now and has cost Spurs a few points recently.
He does have over two years left on his current deal with the club and at 32, still has a few years of top-flight football left in him.
Lloris could play second fiddle to Onana, helping him settle into the role, but that will push Paulo Gazzaniga, who is just 27, further down the pecking order and there is doubt whether Lloris will be content with such a role at this stage.
Onana is surely an upgrade on at least one of those names and signing him is a no-brainer for Spurs.
There are very few options in the transfer market who can do a better job than Onana, and are available on the cheap. So Spurs are better off laying foundations for this deal, as they will also have to fend off interests from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Never mind a no brainer, it would be more a case of no brains if we signed him, he really isn’t that good a keeper, he would be another Huerelho Gomes and we all know how that ended
We do need to replace Hugo, who’s weaknesses are outstripping his strengths these days, but he’s still a better option than Onana and Gazzaniga looks to be showing far more potential and unless we find a real top quality keeper to replace Hugo then we would be far better sticking with him
With Hugo likely to be out for a while yet he has his opportunity to prove he can make the role his, if he doesn’t prove that then we need to be looking at far better options than Onana a few decent saves in a European competition doesn’t mean much he’s pretty inconsistent, makes some pretty awful decisions at times and has weaknesses in his basic game, so no thanks