Ranked: The De Gea replacements on Man Utd's radar
Manchester United are reportedly on the look out for a new goalkeeper this summer, regardless of if David De Gea remains at the club or not.
Despite the Spain international winning the Golden Glove last season in the Premier League with a total of 17 clean sheets, a top-quality shotstopper as one of Erik ten Hag's main priorities in the summer transfer window.
As expected, a number of players have already been linked with a move to Old Trafford, and here, we have picked out five and ranked them by their rating from their respective league last season.
5. Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia) – 6.54
It was a hugely disappointing campaign for Valencia last season, finishing 16th in La Liga and only confirming their survival in Spain’s top tier on the final day. Nevertheless, 22-year-old Giorgi Mamardashvili performed at a decent level, which has seen a number of top clubs cast watchful glances across to the Mestalla. The Georgia international was one of only seven players in La Liga to make at least 100 saves (105) and this was despite Valencia conceding the fifth fewest number of shots per game (10.5) in the league last season.
In turn, this meant only nine teams in the division conceded fewer goals than Valencia (45) despite their low finish. Mamardashvili is still only young, especially for a goalkeeper, yet the makings of becoming a world class shotstopper, so whether as a challenger or replacement for De Gea, he could prove the Spaniard's long-term successor at Old Trafford.
4. Yann Sommer (Bayern Munich) – 6.64
It was only in January that Yann Sommer left Borussia Monchengladbach for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, but he could be an option for Ten Hag’s side, especially if Manuel Neuer’s return from injury means he has to settle for a place on the bench. United have previously been linked with a move for the Switzerland international and he has developed a reputation for being one of the best in Europe, which was one of the reasons he was signed by Bayern.
His overall pass success rate of 83.1% ranks as the sixth best of goalkeepers in the Bundesliga last season, which would be appealing for the Red Devils, who are looking to bring in a goalkeeper who is better with their feet in order to improve their overall build-up play. To emphasise his shotstopping ability, he made 19 saves against Bayern for Gladbach back in August, which stands as a record for a game in Europe’s top five leagues since WhoScored started collecting Opta data in 2009.
3. Jordan Pickford (Everton) – 6.69
To the Premier League now, and a player who may be on the look out for a new challenge is Everton’s Jordan Pickford. The Toffee’s confirmed their Premier League status on the final day of the season with a 1-0 over Bournemouth, but that may not be enough to convince Pickford to stay after his nearly six years at Goodison Park. Competition at a national level is fierce and Pickford will want to do everything he can to retain his number one position for England, which may mean a move to a more established Premier League outfit.
United and Tottenham have been linked, though the latter look likely to be signing Brentford’s David Raya, so Old Trafford may be a viable destination. Pickford made the third most saves (124) in the Premier League last season, while only seven other players made more ball recoveries (301). While he has the attributes to carry out the basic duties of a goalkeeper, he can also play a part in attack, having ranked second for accurate long balls per game (7.9), and was one of four goalkeepers in the division who managed to register an assist last season.
One name who seems to routinely crop up on United's goalkeeper radar is Porto shotstopper Diogo Costa, and given the season he has had; that comes as no surprise. Portugal’s number one was pivotal in Porto’s title bid, which did eventually fall short on the final day as they finished second, as they conceded the second fewest goals (22) in Liga Portugal and finished two points off champions Benfica. Costa himself kept the second most clean sheets (16) and returned the second best save success rate (76.8%) in the division.
What stands Costa apart from De Gea however is how he composes himself with the ball at his feet, and the Porto man is definitely an upgrade on the Red Devils’ current number one. Costa averaged 7.3 accurate long-balls per game compared with De Gea’s 4.9, while his overall pass success rate (76.7%) was also better than the United man (68.3%). The role of goalkeeper has changed in recent years, with Costa certainly the modern-day shotstopper.
Arguably the main reason that Inter were contesting Saturday’s Champions League final against United’s rivals Manchester City was down to Andre Onana. The Serie A outfit had a lot to thank Onana for, with his work between the sticks seeing him finish the tournament with the most saves (47) and the highest number of clean sheets (8) as Inter finished runners-up.
Onana (6.72) is the best rated goalkeeper on this list and though there has been no indication that he will be leaving Italy, Inter may be willing to sell at the right price. Onana protects his area well having averaged 0.5 high claims per game in Italy’s top division last season, especially against the physical presence of some of the Premier League’s top strikers. Furthermore, he averaged 6.1 accurate long-balls per game, and was a consistent shotstopper, accumulating a save success rate of 73.8%, the second best in the league of those to make 20 or more appearances.
With an impressive skillset, it is no wonder Onana will be in high demand this summer, but United will have to move quick if are to beat Chelsea to the Cameroon international's services, with the Blues also keen on the Inter star.
