Manchester United spent 50 million euros to bring in Andre Onana, only to find that they had acquired another De Gea! The Cameroonian international goalkeeper, once considered a "revolutionary goalkeeper," was supposed to improve the team's passing and control but ended up relying on miraculous saves to attract attention. His number of low-level mistakes is not inferior to De Gea's during his declining state at the end of his tenure with the Red Devils, with unpredictable ups and downs in form.
In recent matches, both Manchester United's starting and substitute goalkeepers have been directly scored against from corners, causing concern for head coach Ruben Amorim. Although bringing in a new goalkeeper is not the top priority in the transfer plan, the club is evaluating new goalkeepers and must at least introduce a more capable new signing to provide necessary competition for Onana.
The 28-year-old Onana was praised at the beginning of the season for his multiple heroic saves that saved Manchester United, but recently he has made headlines for various errors. In the Premier League clean sheet rankings, he has been surpassed by Pickford of Everton, David Raya of Arsenal, and Mats Zelis of Nottingham Forest.
Regarding whether he was fouled in the game against Wolves, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher explained that the opponent player Matt Doherty stood next to Onana first and did not actively move his position, so it was not a foul. "The rules allow players to choose their positions; he stood still without any foul actions," Gallagher said. "In fact, it was Onana who wanted to come out; he pushed Doherty, not the other way around. Doherty was pushed, so he reached out to maintain his balance. He held his position without retreating, which is behavior allowed by the rules."
Former England international goalkeeper Joe Hart criticized Manchester United's tactics for not protecting Onana, leaving him surrounded by Santiago Bueno and Doherty, a problem De Gea often encountered when he was with the team. Hart said, "Onana is very talented, but controlling the small penalty area is not his strong point. Wolves arranged four players, yet there were no Manchester United teammates to protect Onana. When the ball was kicked towards the goal, he had too many things to pay attention to. He had to deal with Doherty in front and Bueno behind, leaving him unable to focus on the incoming ball above his head."
Regardless, The Daily Telegraph claims that Manchester United now hopes to sign a new goalkeeper, and Belgian youngster Senne Lammens has been included in the scouts' watchlist. The 22-year-old plays for Belgian Royal Antwerp, which has had a cooperative relationship with the Red Devils in the past; Chinese player Dong Fangzhuo was once loaned to the team for training.
Lammens is a member of the Belgian under-21 national team, joining Antwerp from Club Brugge in 2023. Leeds United of the English Championship has also shown interest in the past, and Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga is another potential buyer. As a Belgian goalkeeper, he is naturally called the "new Courtois," although this goalkeeper still lacks experience, Manchester United believes it is worth a try, especially after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's acquisition of the club, favoring the introduction of young players. It is reported that Lammens' transfer fee could be 20 million pounds.
Furthermore, Bart Verbruggen of Brighton in the Premier League is another potential goalkeeper target. The 22-year-old Dutch international has three years left on his contract; "The Seagulls" spent 15 million pounds to sign him from Anderlecht last year and may now demand 30 million pounds.
Despite the poor performance of Manchester United's goalkeepers, any transfer deals are unlikely to be completed in this January transfer window because the club's spending will be restricted. They recorded losses in their financial data and must ensure compliance with the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). If they want to bring in reinforcements, the Red Devils will first need to sell players; the 26-year-old Turkish international goalkeeper Bajindir can be sold for a transfer fee of 5 million pounds.
In addition to Lammens and Verbruggen, Manchester United has recently been linked with several other goalkeepers, including Brazilian Botafogo's Ba Jia and Copa Libertadores best goalkeeper John Victor, Leeds United's French goalkeeper Meslier, and Napoli's Italian international goalkeeper Alex Meret, among others.