The general response to any player who has been caught doping is to say it was an accident or it simply didn’t happen, but it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana.
It’s been reported that the substance he took was an accident as he was unwell and took some of his wife’s medication without checking it out, and he’s since been banned for 12 months as a result.
That ban also restricts him from training with the Ajax team so he’s been completely cut out of football, and if that story is true then it’s a shame.
He’s still only 25 years old and he’s a great goalkeeper so he should still have an excellent career if he returns and gets back to his best, while he has lodged an appeal and it appears the ruling could come as early as next week:
Andre Onana's doping ban was heard today.
A verdict from CAS could arrive within the next week, Arsenal continue to watch developments closely.https://t.co/uuGPGcoXks
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) June 2, 2021
That will interest Arsenal fans as they have been heavily linked with a move for him, and Fabrizio Romano has even reported talks have been ongoing but they need a final outcome on this before going ahead:
Official statement from Ajax to explicate André Onana’s suspension situation. Arsenal are interested in signing him on a permanent deal – talks ongoing since January but CAS final sentence on his ban will be key to proceed. ???? #AFC pic.twitter.com/WeVgD95k4Z
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 2, 2021
It’s still possible that Arsenal sign him regardless of the outcome here but the price they pay will be reduced if he’s banned for most of the season, while it’s something for the fans to keep an eye on next week as things could move quickly if the outcome goes in Onana’s favour.
I pray that the ruling will be on is favour.
Onana seems promising and I’m hoping for the best, but I still think we made a mistake keeping Leno over Emi Martinez, whose strong hands and active presence were important the 2020 run to the FA Cup. He seemed to me a key element in the spirit of the side.
Now we’ve seen Emi give a big boost to Villa and Leno appears to be thinking of leaving. And we could have gotten more cash from selling Leno than from selling Martinez.
Of course, in the long run we also have our own strong young candidate in Arthur Okonkwo.