Young Cameroon international goalkeeper Andre Onana has revealed he turned down offers from Arsenal and Chelsea because he was not confident of being given a chance to break through to the first team set-up at the English pair.
A highly rated young custodian, Onana recently opted to quit Barcelona to link up with Dutch giants Ajax, after he concluded there was little opportunity in the short term for him to make an impact at the Camp Nou.
He had offers from elsewhere, including two from England, but the 20-year-old was convinced that playing first team football was far more likely to happen in the Netherlands with Ajax.
Onana told Ajax Life: "Arsenal also wanted to have me, like Chelsea, Lyon and Nice – but I chose Ajax.
"Why? I watched the first team and saw that all the young players were in there. At Ajax, they get a chance", he added.
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"In Spain and England they don't, also in France they get less [of a chance].
"I was really happy with how young Ajax players were first team squad members."
Onana has been proven right in his thoughts, with the 20-year-old already clocking up eight Eredivisie appearances for Ajax in the current campaign, while he has also featured on three occasions in the Europa League.
The shot-stopper signed for Ajax in the winter window of 2015 and initially turned out in the Dutch second tier for the club's youth side.
He made his international debut for Cameroon earlier this year.
