Carlos Baleba has shown his support for Andre Onana following the latter’s transfer to Trabzonspor. The 29-year-old goalkeeper, who was acquired by Manchester United from Inter Milan for a substantial £47 million in July 2023, has now moved to the Turkish club on a season-long loan. Onana missed the opening weekend of the new Premier League season due to a hamstring injury. His substitute, Altay Bayindir, received significant criticism for his performance during United’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Despite a subpar performance, head coach Ruben Amorim chose not to provide Onana with another chance in the English top-flight. Nevertheless, the Portuguese manager did include the Cameroonian in United’s Carabao Cup second round match against Grimsby Town. Onana did not particularly excel as United faced a 12-11 penalty shootout loss at Blundell Park. With Amorim eager to introduce a new goalkeeper, United finalized the acquisition of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day for £18 million.
After struggling to attract significant interest from top European leagues, United successfully found a new destination for the Cameroonian goalkeeper this week. On the second-to-last day of the Turkish transfer window, Trabzonspor secured Onana’s signature.
It is reported that the Super Lig club has agreed to pay his full wages. Additionally, Onana will benefit from a salary increase due to Turkey’s 20 percent tax rate on football players.
Trabzonspor announced the goalkeeper’s temporary transfer on Thursday evening, inundating their social media platforms with updates. On Instagram, Trabzonspor stated: “Another adventure, another challenge. Welcome to the biggest city team in the world, Andre Onana.”
The Turkish side successfully encouraged Onana to engage in a trending social media phenomenon, which has garnered over half a million likes. The Cameroonian changed his phone wallpaper from the United crest to the claret and blue emblem, with Bonde R300’s track ‘Oh Nanana’ playing in the background.
Trabzonspor subsequently released images from Onana’s photo shoot shortly thereafter, attracting attention from his former teammates. Rasmus Hojlund, who recently left United on loan, along with Bryan Mbeumo and Joshua Zirkzee, all expressed their approval by ‘liking’ the post.
Baleba also showed his support by ‘liking’ the post, even though he has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford during the summer transfer window. Reports suggest that United inquired about the Brighton midfielder’s availability, receiving a valuation of around £100m for his transfer.
After spending £215m on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Diego Leon, and Lammens, the Reds encountered challenges in justifying such financial outlay. It is also reported that United did not consider enhancing their midfield as a priority, which accounts for their focus on acquiring three high-profile forwards.
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