Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn believes Andre Onana is set to become a world-class goalkeeper, speaking to BILD after the Ajax ace choose Inter Milan over Premier League giants Arsenal.
Then again, Onana certainly hasn’t been playing like one of the ‘top five best goalkeepers in the world’ since returning to Ajax’s starting XI following an injury to veteran Remko Pasveer.
The former Barcelona youngster has come under fire following a series of high-profile errors, including a rather big one in the build-up to Darwin Nunez’s winner during last month’s Champions League defeat to Benfica.
But there’s a reason why Scudetto holders Inter headhunted Onana as a replacement for wonderful but ageing Samir Handanovic.
There’s a reason why the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United showed an interest before the Cameroon international joined the Nerazzuri on a pre-contract deal in January (90Min).
Will Andre Onana be the world’s best goalkeeper?
“Onana is in the top five of the best goalkeepers in the world,” says Kahn.
The Bayern Munich CEO is well-placed to pass judgement. Kahn was, after all, one of the finest, most feared shot-stoppers of his generation.
“(Onana) is agile, fast and powerful,” the former Germany international adds.
“Onana is also very good with his feet and excellent in the build-up. He is a kind of mix between (Barcelona’s) Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and (Liverpool’s) Alisson Becker.
“This man can become the best if he keeps working hard.”
According to Dutch publication NOS, Onana was ‘very close’ to joining Arsenal during the summer of 2021.
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And it is easy to forget that, when the Gunners opted to sign Aaron Ramsdale instead for an initial £24 million, plenty of critics were wondering why on earth they’d brought in a man who had suffered relegation in each of the last two seasons when Onana was available for a fraction of the price, albeit unavailable for another couple of months due to a doping ban.
Flash forward nine months or so and you could certainly make a case for Ramsdale being the Premier League’s ‘Signing of the Season’.
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