Aston Villa paid £30 million to bring Zion Suzuki from Parma in August. The Japanese goalkeeper has quickly established himself as Unai Emery’s first choice, but a costly mistake against Fulham has raised questions about his value.
A misplaced Alex Iwobi corner saw Suzuki score an own goal in the 1-1 draw on Saturday. It took away from a number of great saves he made, but former Villa senior scout Bryan King questioned if the 24-year-old has been worth his transfer fee.
However, with only a few months at Villa Park, is it too early to judge the goalkeeper?
Suzuki has shown promise since joining Aston Villa
Having gained experience with Italian football, Suzuki has also built up a fine reputation in Serie A, making 20 appearances for Parma last season and recording 5 clean sheets.
Since joining Villa, he has had some promising displays. He has started every one of his 8 Premier League games so far and has made 28 saves from 36 shots on target.
This has resulted in a 77.8% save percentage, with 8 goals conceded and 2 clean sheets.
This is a decent start, with lots of potential for improvement. His quick reactions and passing have been impressive. However as Fulham showed, he needs to remain consistent.
With a £30m fee, there will be greater pressure on the young goalkeeper, as Villa have spent a lot of money bringing him in and will want him to become a reliable shot stopper.
Bryan King questions whether the £30m investment was worthwhile
King has stated that despite the fact that he acknowledges the fact that mistakes can be made by any goalkeeper, he was not impressed with Suzuki’s performance against Fulham. The ex-Villa scout believes that the Japanese international tends to make easy saves look tougher than they really are.
He also stated that Suzuki has not proved that he is worth the money that Villa has paid for him.
But King acknowledges that one mistake should not be seen as a bad season for the goalkeeper, as Suzuki will need time to react. He is still young and inexperienced in English football.
The Villa boss has already given his support, pointing out that the goalkeeper had made saves in previous games against Fulham and that mistakes happen.
The goalkeeper should feel confident in knowing he has his manager’s support.
Barcelona gives Suzuki a chance to respond
Suzuki will have a chance to bounce back straight away when Villa face Barcelona in the Champions League tonight (Tuesday).
But Emery is likely to stick with his first-choice keeper, and a good performance in the Camp Nou will help boost his confidence after the Fulham disappointment.
It is still too early to say whether Villa have made the right move in spending £30m on the Japanese midfielder. However, Suzuki does have enough potential to suggest that the club have made an intelligent purchase. He will need to be more consistent.
King’s criticism draws attention to the pressure that lies on Suzuki. The goalkeeper will need to prove he can cope with the pressure and learn from his mistakes.
While one bad moment shouldn’t define his time at Villa, the next few months will give a better indication of whether he can be the reliable first choice that Emery is hoping for.
Stats courtesy of www.theanalyst.com
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