Andre Onana is expected to join Manchester United to replace the outgoing David De Gea, but how does he compare to two best goalkeepers in the league?
WithManchester Unitedɾєρօɾτedly closing in on the signing of Andre Onana from Inter Milan, just how does the Cameroon international compare to the Premier League’s best shot-stoppers?
The goalkeeper is set to replaceDavid De Geaafter the Spaniard left the club following the expiry of his contract to put an єɴԀ to his 12-year spell at Old Trafford.
De Gea won the Golden Glove award in the English top-flight during the 2022’23 season with an impressive 17 clean sheets in the league.
This was three more than his closest challengers – Nick Pope of Newcastle,AlissonofLiverpoolandAaron RamsdaleofArsenal- who were all tied on 14.
Andre Onana is ɾєρօɾτedly closing in on a move to Man Utd
According to theManchester Evening News, a fee of around £50 million could soon be agreed between the two clubs to bring Onana to the club.
He recently put in a stand-out performance in theChampions Leaguefinal, although he was unable to prevent his side from slipping to defeat against United’s rivals,Manchester City.
His performance caught the eye due to his ability with the ball at his feet, something United fɑɴȿ had grown fɾυȿτɾɑted by during De Gea’s time between the posts.
The Spaniard appeared rushed and uncomfortable any time he received the ball to feet in his last season at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
Erik ten Hagis known for wanting a goalkeeper that can be relied upon to help build-up the play from the back, something he knows Onana can do.
This comes from the time the pair spent working together at Ajax.
The performance against City only goes to show this quality in Onana as not even Erling Haaland charging in his direction could faze him and force an error.
With all that being said, just how does he compare to the very best goalkeepers thePremier Leaguehas to offer?
How does Onana compare toAlissonand Ederson in passing?
The Brazilian duo have been the standard setters in England in recent years as Manchester City and Liverpool have battled it out at the top of the table.
Both had very solid seasons last time out even though Alisson’s Liverpool struggled for form.
The pair come out on top last season in comparison to Onana when it comes to pass completion percentage, with stats obtained fromFBRef.com.
Of the 27-year-old’s 34.9 average passes per 90 minutes, he completed 81.3%.
Compare this to 85.8% and 85.4% of Ederson and Alisson respectively, and there is not a lot in it at all.
Onana’s statistics come from a smaller sample size as he only played 24 matches in 2022/23 compared to Alisson’s 37 and Ederson’s 35.
All three keepers should be considered as elite when it comes to short passes with the two Brazilians completing just over 99% of these pass types, and Onana successfully pulling off 100%.
It feels harsh to judge goalkeepers on this but, the potential new United goalkeeper was the only one of the trio to not register an assist last season.
Alisson provided an assist for Mohamed Salah against Ederson’s team while the City number one set up Haaland in a win over Brighton.
Passing is an important part of the modern game and this is why the Inter Milan man has been earmarked as De Gea’s successor.
If United want to compete with the best sides, matching them in the goalkeeping department is a good place to start.
How do the three goalkeepers compare in shot-stopping?
As previously stated, Liverpool had a poor season as a team and as a result, their keeper shipped 43 goals, substantially more than both Onana and Ederson.
Onana conceded the least with 24 – an average of one goal per game – from the smaller pool of games.
Ederson was beaten 32 times which is less than the number of games he played in, due to his side’s dominance.
His team were so in control of the majority of their games that he faced even less shots on target (77) than Onana (83), even despite playing 11 more games.
Alisson faced almost twice as many attempts on goal compared to his two rivals with a staggering 147.
A game against West Ham saw the Reds’ shot-stopper save his only penalty of the season. In fact, it was the only spot-kick denied by any three players.
His numbers are very impressive despite his team struggling for form and defensive stability, he even managed a clean sheet percentage of 37.8%, more than his both his rivals.
Truth be told, there is not a lot between all three men, as they have all proven to be quality in their own rights.
But, now for the most important question…
How does Onana compare to De Gea?
The biggest issue is whether ten Hag’s new man in between the sticks will be an upgrade on the departing De Gea, with stats again coming fromFBRef.com.
The Spaniard featured in all 38 league games for the Red Devils, 14 more than his expected replacement.
Onana did finish the season with a higher save percentage however with 73.5% compared to De Gea’s 71.1%.
The former United star also saved one penalty, something Onana did not manage from the two he faced over the course of the season.
Despite the criticism he faced, it may come as a shock to fɑɴȿ that De Gea matched Onana’s 100% short pass completion rate.
The real difference comes between passing comes from long distance passes, as the Cameroonian completed more than 10% long passes than his Spanish counterpart.
It is not only the actual passing statistics of the two players, but the impact they have on the team.
Where Man United players were very hesitant to play the ball back to their keeper, Inter were the exact opposite.
Even with the huge difference in games played, De Gea only completed 29 more passes.With the new direction they are going in, United will be more than comfortable picking out their composed new number one.
