High Rated La Liga Star Close To Arsenal Move Ahead Of January Window
Following Damien Emiliano Martinez’s promotion into the first team as the 3rd choice goalkeeper at Arsenal, there exists a vacancy at the youth level for the Gunners to fill. The North London club are reportedly on the trail of Barcelona’s youth goal keeper, Andrey Onana, who they are confident of signing from the Catalan giants anytime soon. Arsenal were said to have been close to landing the Cameroonian during the last transfer window, but the player preferred a new deal at Barcelona which is yet to be offered by his employers despite displaying some very impressive performances for the Barcelona youth side. Arsenal, who has waited on the sidelines watching the contract situation of the goal keeper, would now pounce on the opportunity provided by the seeming lack of interest from the Spanish heavyweight. Once terms are struck in January, the young goal keeper would join up with the Arsene Wenger led side in the winter.
Arsenal, this summer saw the departure of two senior team goal keepers who served as the second and third choices last term. While Emiliano Viviano returned to parent club, Palermo in the Italian Serie A after a season long loan at the Emirates, Lukas Fabianski, the impressive shot stopper who was in goal for the Gunners throughout the 2014 FA Cup success, switched to Swansea City on a permanent deal. Swiftly, Arsene Wenger, after the 2014 FIFA World Cup, brought in the Colombia national team number one goal keeper, David Ospina from OGC Nice in the French Ligue 1. David Ospina, whose move to Arsenal was reported to have been worth between £3m and £3.5m with a £60,000 weekly wage, was expected to compete for the number one goalkeeper’s spot with young Pole Wojciech Szczesny. Ospina however got injured in training ahead of the 5-1 Emirates Cup victory over Benfica, paving the way for the young Argentinean, Damien Martinez. Just as Arsenal got linked to Iker Casillas, the Gunners handed promotion to the youth goal keeper Damien Martinez, making there a vacancy at the youth level.
Though Arsenal now has World class goalkeepers in Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina, the intended acquisition of Andrey Onana could be seen as a long term plan for the future. Alongside Damian Martinez, Onana would make Arsenal ready for future challenges of English Premier League and European challenges. Onana has been followed by Chief Gunners scout, Francis Cagigao since the start of the year and the Spaniard has urged Arsene Wenger to secure the young goal keeper’s signature. It seems that Arsenal are very confident of snapping up Onana, the confidence probably stemming from the North London club’s previous business deals with Barcelona in terms of players transfers.
Arsenal has gotten protégés like the young Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida from Barcelona in the past, but recently succeeded in bringing in Alexis Sanchez from the Catalan giants for a whooping £35m transfer fee. In the opposite direction, players like Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, Thierry Henry, Alex Hleb, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song have all left Arsenal in search for pastures anew in Barcelona. A deal to and from Barcelona and Arsenal has been made very easy, hence this one for Andrey Onana shouldn’t be any harder.