Manchester United have completed the Deadline Day signing of Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
United have agreed a deal for the Royal Antwerp goalkeeper for around £18.2m plus add-ons.
The club looked at other options, including Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but after much deliberation and negotiation, they feel Lammens is the right choice for the club moving forward.
Lammens‘ skill as a shot-stopper impressed United. No ‚keeper made more saves in Europe’s top 10 leagues last season and he had one of the highest goals-prevented metrics in Europe. He also made the most progressive passes for any goalkeeper under the age of 23.
As it stands, United will move forward with four goalkeepers, adding Lammens to their current group of Altay Bayindir, Andre Onana and Tom Heaton.
However, the windows in Turkey and Saudi Arabia are open until September 11 and 10, respectively.
It is understood that if a suitable offer were to come in for their other goalkeepers, it would be considered.
Head coach Ruben Amorim had previously said he was happy with his goalkeeping department, despite several high-profile errors from Onana and Bayindir across the early stages of the season.
Lammens is now the fifth signing of the summer for Amorim, taking their summer spend to £232m, following the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon.
The keeper was signed two years ago from Club Brugge and the sale represents nearly 100 per cent profit for the Belgian club.
He made 30 appearances in the Belgian Pro League last season for Antwerp, keeping seven clean sheets.
Lammens: I can make a real impact
Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, says Man Utd fended off competition to sign the goalkeeper with ‚great potential‘
Speaking on the club’s official channels after signing, Lammens said:
„You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years.
„I cannot wait to get to know my team-mates and begin working with Ruben [Amorim] and the coaching staff. This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives.“
United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, added: „Senne is an excellent young goalkeeper with great potential.
„We are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United after significant interest from a number of clubs.“
Why have Man Utd signed Lammens?
Sky Sports News‘ Danyal Khan:
„Manchester United have signed Senne Lammens with an eye to the now as well as the future.
„The 23-year-old keeper, tipped to be Thibaut Courtois‘ successor in the Belgium national side, is seen as the best solution to strengthen an underperforming goalkeeping department after a shaky start to the season by the likes of Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir.
„It’s no secret they looked at other options, such as tried and tested Emiliano Martinez at Aston Villa, but with all factors considered, United felt Lammens was the direction they wanted to go in.
„Although Lammens has limited experience – only one season as a first-choice No 1 at Royal Antwerp, United are confident in Lammens‘ potential to compete immediately as well as having room to grow with a side that has the ultimate aim to win the Premier League title in three years time.“
What can Man Utd expect from Lammens?
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Football expert Kevin Hatchard on Sky Sports News:
„He’s very calm. The mentality is good, I’ve spoken to goalkeeping coaches and he’s been seen as a rising star in Belgium for quite a while.
„He was at Club Brugge and couldn’t get past Simon Mignolet, who was in excellent form. He went to Antwerp, and the number of shots he’s saving beyond what the expected goals would expect him to concede has been very, very high.
„Antwerp have one of the best defensive records in Belgium last season. But it’s a huge leap to be the No 1 at Manchester United.
„An interesting thing is that when Ruben Amorim was at Sporting, they were tracking him then. So there’s obviously been a like there for quite some time.“
Stats suggest Lammens is special
Sky Sports‘ Adam Bate:
Lammens boasts some striking statistics last season, some simple and others complex. He saved four penalties in the Belgian league, twice as many as anyone else, and his total of 173 saves was the most of any goalkeeper in the top eight leagues.
Given that information, it is perhaps not so surprising that the advanced metrics also suggest he was the outstanding performer. Based on the expected-goals data, he prevented half a goal every 90 minutes – more than any other keeper in Europe.
He has earned a reputation as a ball-playing goalkeeper with a real range of passes at his disposal, although the statistics suggest he is not quite so accustomed to rushing off his line as regularly as some of the more high-profile sweeper-keepers around.
In Belgium, his list of admirers include former national team goalkeepers Michel Preud’homme and Simon Mignolet but the step up to playing for Manchester United will still be a test of technique and temperament for this talented 23-year-old prospect.
Why Man Utd needed a goalkeeper
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Sky Sports‘ Gary Neville:
„If your goalkeeper is making mistakes, it undermines everything that you do. And at Old Trafford, it’s the most unforgiving ground for goalkeepers.
„The Manchester United goalkeeper spot is the toughest position in English football, bar none. If you give goals away at United as a keeper, you’ll be scrutinised heavily.
„It’s not about never making mistakes – it’s about how you recover from them, your body language, and whether you look authoritative. [Onana and Bayindir] don’t fill that role.“
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