Pep Guardiola praised ‘exceptional’ Chelsea target before Manchester City’s UCL final

Chelsea target Andre Onana received praise from Pep Guardiola before Manchester City vs Inter Milan UCL final

Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on Andre Onana, a target for Chelsea before the final against Manchester City in the Champions League final.

Onana will be trying to win his first European championship as Inter Milan take on Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday night in Istanbul.

Chelsea have been eyeing the 27-year-old goaltender after their bid for the Cameroonian was turned down earlier. He was named in the starting XI against the Cityzens and was highly impressive during the game with his composure on the ball and calmness when called into action.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything about Rodri’s 68th-minute strike from the edge of the box, which turned out to be the only goal of the game.

Mauricio Pochettino, who is the new manager of Chelsea, is a huge fan of the former Ajax goalie and is willing to onboard him in SW6 for next season.

Chelsea’s goalkeepers future remains up in the air, as the club will be hoping to secure a quality shot-stopper for the upcoming campaign. Onana, however, would have been more concentrated on his career-defining game.

And City’s manager, (h/t Metro) Guardiola, warned City to be wary of Onana, who is one of the threats. Speaking before the match, he said:

“For the way they play, with the high press. Onana is an exceptional goalkeeper to take that position. Really, really good.’’

Chelsea deem Inter Milan's asking price for Andre Onana too expensive.
Inter Milan have rejected Chelsea’s bid for Onana. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Onana can bring a lot of consistency from the back, which is why Chelsea wants to sign him. When one of the best managers praises you, you undoubtedly have a lot of promise.

Football clubs now evaluate goalkeepers in much more ways before making a purchase than just keeping them between the posts and making saves.

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With his strong ball distribution and ball-holding skills, Onana possesses excellent qualities that allow him to control the game from behind and lessen opponents’ pressure. Hopefully, we can secure his signing so he can be a strong base to build this squad upon.

Reaching the UCL final with Inter could be seen as the pinnacle of what he could have achieved with them in Europe. Hopefully, he is now ready for a new chapter in England – west London, to be precise.