Senne Lammens was rejected by two English Premier League clubs before Manchester United signed the Belgian goalkeeper from Royal Antwerp. Here’s why Leeds and Sunderland did not like Senne Lammens.
Manchester United’s new goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, was reportedly seen as a risky bet by two other English Premier League clubs before the Red Devils landed him on the last day of the 2025 transfer window. Lammens joined Man United from Belgium’s Royal Antwerp in a £18.1 million deal, as a replacement for Andre Onana.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana made his name at Ajax and Inter Milan, but has proven to be a controversial figure at the club due to his error-prone two seasons with Manchester. Despite publicly backing him, manager Ruben Amorim has not started him in Premier League games, with Altay Bayındır starting all three matches so far.
On deadline day (1 September), United were in negotiations with two clubs for a goalkeeper. Apart from Lammens, the Red Devils were also in talks with Aston Villa for World Cup winner Emi Martinez. But eventually, Man United ignored the experienced Martinez for 23-year-old Lammens as the Argentine was set to demand £200,000-a-week wages.
It has now emerged that before United, Leeds and Sunderland had also contacted Antwerp for Lammens, but pulled out due to the steep asking price. Leeds later signed goalkeeper Lucas Perri from Lyon for £14 million, while Sunderland acquired Robin Roefs from the Netherlands’ NEC Nijmegen for £11.5 million.
Why did Leeds or Sunderland not sign Lammens?
An explosive report in express.co.uk claims that Leeds and Sunderland decided against signing Lammens as they felt it was too early for him to become a first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League. Their scouts decided this after considering major factors like “athletic ability and mental acuity, as well as his technical parameters.”
A BBC report also states that Lammens is still largely unproven despite playing in 93 matches, as only 52 of them have come in the top-division Belgian Pro League.
This would certainly put a lot of pressure on Lammens as he gets ready for his Man United debut against local rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
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