Transfer (Rumours) in Focus: Zion Suzuki to Manchester United
Who is the young Japanese keeper that Manchester United have been linked with?
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Despite his constant and cryptic usage of emojis on Twitter, it seems that David de Gea’s time at Old Trafford has come to an end.
Given that the quote-unquote ‘right time’ to part ways with the Spanish shot-stopper has long since passed, you would expect that Manchester United would have had the basic framework of a succession plan in place for when De Gea’s contract came to its end.
Alas, this does not seem to be the case.
The club’s financial restrictions due to FFP have played a significant part in their indecision, as the club has a strict budget to solve several problems across the squad, but it does seem that the planning stage did not start until a few weeks ago.
Luckily for United, the perfect Ten Hag keeper is available for a reasonable price this summer. Andre Onana, who joined Inter Milan on a free transfer last summer, played under the Dutchman at Ajax and perfectly embodies what he wants from his keeper; proactive in his box and comfortable on the ball.
Yes, if United had done the right thing and moved to solve their problem earlier, they could have had Onana for free, but given how crucial the Cameroonian keeper will be to improving their build-up, it is still money incredibly well spent.
However, it is probably a fair argument to say that United can not stop at just signing one keeper this summer.
Dean Henderson’s time at United has been a tumultuous one. After an impressive two years at Sheffield United, it seemed that he was going to be De Gea’s long-term successor without costing the club a penny.
Club politics, an unfortunately timed bout of COVID-19 and the complete collapse of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s project at Old Trafford derailed this dream and Henderson was left out in the cold.
Luckily for United, it seems that despite their horrific handling of Henderson’s development and future, they may still receive around £30m for his transfer to Nottingham Forest according to the Manchester Evening News (though I wouldn’t hold my breath).
This leaves the number two spot open. Tom Heaton could fill in there for a season, but if United can pick up a high-potential player for a reasonable price this summer, it would make sense for them to do it.
Heaton is 37 years old, and while he has shown that he is still able to perform to a good level, he is likely to depart at the end of the 2023/24 season.
So with that in mind, enter Zion Suzuki.
Transfer in Focus is a short-form series I will be doing throughout the transfer window, looking at confirmed and rumoured transfers that I find interesting so please subscribe to receive them straight to your inbox.
Before we get started, I am not an expert on Zion Suzuki. I’d never even heard of him until yesterday. So this is not going to be an in-depth profile of the young keeper, but it will contain some observations I have made through researching him over the past day.
Other than having a cool name, Suzuki has caught the eye for Urawa Red Diamonds, both at youth and senior levels.
Suzuki was born in Little Rock Arkansas, USA to a mother of Ghanaian Ewe descent and a Japanese father, meaning he can represent any of these three national teams at the senior level, though currently, he plays for Japan’s u21s.
From watching some clips of his albeit limited games, what caught the eye most was his willingness to compete for balls in the box (in one clip he even cleaned out his defender to make sure the danger was cleared), but also his distribution.
Suzuki has what I can only describe as the arm of a quarterback. Many clips show him throwing the ball almost to the halfway line to start a counterattack for both Urawa Reds and Japan’s U21s1.
The accuracy of these throws would be something that would have to be measured over time, but the distance is still impressive and a strong weapon to have in his arsenal.
There were also several clips which showed his competency with the ball at his feet as well, as he was able to comfortably chip the ball out wide and beat the first line of the opposition’s press.
In terms of his proficiency as a shot-stopper, I could only really go off his performances for Urawa Reds in the Asian Champions League (his team were the eventual winner).
He played four times, keeping two clean sheets and making 1.3 saves per game. It’s respectable and he is still young, but you can’t form a conclusion from it.
Overall this is one where you have to trust the scouts. In the past few years, the Japanese League has seen some incredibly versatile talents move overseas but Suzuki would be the first goalkeeper to make a big move.
The major question mark comes from whether he has the potential to be a Premier League keeper.
There is an understanding that at 20 years old, he is allowed to be inexperienced, but some have questioned why United are interested in a keeper who is not number one at his club.
He is currently behind 37-year-old Shusaku Nishikawa in the pecking order, a keeper who is infamous for his blunders and is in the twilight of his career.
Having spoken to a few people more versed in the Japanese League than I am, they’ve told me that the manager of Urawa Reds has received some criticism in the past for sticking with his favourites2.
It’s a valid worry, but I think when talking about goalkeepers at this age, it is hard to predict their path unless they are a truly outstanding talent.
What this potential signing does show definitively, however (if it goes through), is that United have started to think outside the box instead of going for the obvious target.
It may not work out, but for a reported £5m, it should be encouraged for the club to take more risks, especially when there is quality in front of him in the starting XI and the upside massively outweighs the downside.
Suzuki is an interesting proposition, but it is more the idea that he represents rather than the player currently that makes it so.
This was most notable in his appearance against the Netherlands during a friendly for Japan’s u21.
This has also been the case for the manager of Japan, but in his defence, Japan does have several good options at the goalkeeper position including Keisuke Osako, who started their last match.