Man Utd Strike Gold with Senne Lammens Signing to Solve Goalkeeper Crisis, Contract Details Unveiled
Manchester United have secured a new goalkeeper by acquiring Belgian keeper Senne Lammens through a permanent transfer on this deadline day.
Lammens moves to the Red Devils from Royal Antwerp for a base fee of £18.1 million ($24.5 million) plus additional clauses, according to The Athletic reports. The 23-year-old has penned a five-year deal with his new team as he gets ready to compete for the number one spot under Ruben Amorim.
"I feel incredibly honored to become part of Manchester United; this truly represents a childhood dream fulfilled. The recent years have been a remarkable path; it has now concluded at an extraordinary destination and hopefully marks the start of something magnificent. You can sense the encouraging energy being built here, and I believe I can contribute significantly to this club in the years ahead. I'm eager to meet my teammates and start collaborating with Ruben and his coaching team. This represents the ideal environment to continue my development, progress alongside this promising squad and reach my professional goals," Lammens expressed in the official statement.
Following his transfer to Antwerp two seasons back, Lammens featured in 62 first-team matches for the Belgian side, allowing 86 goals while recording 12 shutouts. The Manchester United goalkeeper position, previously described by Gary Neville as the most challenging role in English football, has remained problematic in recent seasons. David de Gea, a club icon, was pushed out by former boss Erik ten Hag as the Dutch manager brought in his previous Ajax goalkeeper, André Onana, during 2023.
The Cameroonian shot-stopper, despite receiving acclaim for his distribution skills, has faced significant criticism for his goalkeeping mistakes. An error against Grimsby Town in last week's embarrassing Carabao Cup second round elimination represented just another incident in a series of blunders.
The goalkeeper position reportedly wasn't an area Manchester United intended to strengthen this transfer window unless Onana departed the club. However, connections to Gianluigi Donnarumma, Emiliano Martínez and Lammens during the window demonstrated a desire to enhance their goalkeeper options.
Altay Bayındır, who served as Onana's understudy last term, has featured in all three Premier League matches at the start of this new season. Despite Onana regaining full fitness for the campaign opener, questions emerged when he wasn't chosen for the home match against Arsenal. A Bayındır mistake from a set piece resulted in the match's only goal, further emphasizing the necessity for a new signing.
Lammens has received call-ups to the Belgian senior squad but has not yet earned his first cap.
The Belgian addition joins players like Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško as significant arrivals for United during this transfer window.