Why Chelsea should move for Onana if the Inter shotstopper is available

In February 2021, Andre Onana was banned from playing for 12 months by UEFA after testing positive for Furosemide. That was reduced to nine months by the the Court of Arbitration for Sport in June that year, but even so; that effectively meant the goalkeeper would miss the entirety of a season's worth of football. Given the longevity of a goalkeeper's career, that wasn't the be all and end all for Onana, yet still a blow. 

Nevertheless, Inter were prepared to take a chance on the Cameroon international and the risk was rewarded. The Nerazzurri may have failed to wrestle their Serie A crown away from the red and black half of Milan, ultimately finishing the season 18 points behind champions Napoli, but Onana was vital in their progression to the Champions League final. 

Inter may have fallen to defeat in Istanbul on Saturday night with Rodri's second half strike enough to secure Manchester City a historic treble, but defeat in Turkey shouldn't take away what was an impressive European campaign for Onana. Indeed, his WhoScored rating of 7.17 was enough to make the team of the tournament as the 27-year-old made more saves (47) and kept more clean sheets (8) than any other goalkeeper. 

Inter will of course view Onana as the long-term successor for Samir Handanovic between the sticks, but with their financial issues and the need to make one high-profile sale every summer means the former is up for grabs. This is of course a concern for the Italian side, especially with big-spending Chelsea sniffing around the Giuseppe Meazza in their quest to sign a new shotstopper. 

Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino is seemingly unconvinced by both Kepa and Edouard Mendy and while Chelsea have a number of problems they need to rectify in the off-season, arguably the best place to start a rebuild is from the back. Mendy has regressed following a bright start to life at Stamford Bridge, while Kepa, who admittedly exceeded expectations last season, hardly inspires confidence at the back. 

Kepa's inability to command his area his seen him develop a statistically calculated WhoScored weakness of 'catching crosses', and this shouldn't come as a surprise. The Spaniard made just the 13 good high claims across 29 Premier League appearances last season. For context, Onana made 11 good high claims in his 13 Champions League appearances. This dominance in the penalty area is of the utmost importance for any goalkeeper, be it to help instigate attacks or alleviate pressure on the goal. 

A clear example of the latter came in the Champions League final as Inter pressed for a late equaliser, but a lofted ball into the box was well claimed by Ederson to help waste time as an attack broke down. Chelsea fans rarely witnessed such an authoritative presence between the sticks at Stamford Bridge last season, so the addition of a goalkeeper of Onana's standing would be a welcome boost. 

To their credit, what does stand Kepa and Mendy in good stead, however, is there shotstopping ability. Even if they lack the relevant expertise to come and claim crosses or high balls into the box, the pair know how to put themselves between their goal and the ball. That being said, as noted by Onana's Champions League exploits, they'd be upgrading in this area anyway, so it's not such a watertight argument to use in favour of Chelsea's current goalkeeping pair.  

Rather, another quality of Onana's that would be a welcome boost for Chelsea is his distribution. Now Kepa and Mendy, to their credit, are capable performers with the ball at their feet. Of the three goalkeepers mentioned, Kepa has the best pass success rate (80.7%), followed by Mendy (76.9%) and Onana (74.9%) in the Premier League and Champions League, respectively.

Yet crucially, Onana's long-ball distribution means he is the better fit for the three goalkeepers that look to quickly get the ball rolling. Given the modern nature of the game, goalkeepers are essentially required to carry out the role of an 11th outfield player to instigate attacks from defence. Onana, then, was key to setting Inter forward as he ranked third for accurate long balls per game (8.9) in the Champions League last season, a vast improvement on Mendy (4.2) and Kepa (4.1) in England's top tier. 

Given the full-back options at Pochettino's disposal now, he'll want a goalkeeper who is able to pick out Reece James on the right and Ben Chilwell on the left to help catch opponents out, and improve upon a measly return of one counter attacking goal in the Premier League last season.

Now, with Chelsea's goal issues and the need to bring in a replacement for N'Golo Kante, there are more pressing concerns in the Blues squad than between the sticks, yet a key element of Liverpool's rebuild was the capture of Alisson. Manchester City's signing of Ederson was crucial in their domestic, and now continental, dominance. Chelsea would be wise to follow suit and if they can sign Onana this summer, then they'll be much better prepared for Pochettino's debut campaign in west London.