Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki has begun to establish himself at Aston Villa, seizing the regular football he was promised after joining the English club in the summer transfer window. Not long before, he had come close to a move to Paris Saint-Germain, only for negotiations to stall.
PSG had earmarked Suzuki as an option to bolster their goalkeeping ranks. He impressed Luis Enrique, who weighed up signing him to compete with Matvey Safonov or taking him on a season-long loan. The deal collapsed, though, once the Parisian club’s management judged the final financial demands from the goalkeeper’s agents to be excessive.
Money was not the only sticking point. Suzuki wanted a team that would guarantee him a starting spot, and that was something PSG could not offer.
Three years ago, the same reason lay behind his rejection of Manchester United, who wanted him to serve as backup to André Onana.
Suzuki said: “My priority was to play, and that is why I made this decision. I played one year in Belgium and two years at Parma. I developed. It was very important for me to play two years in the Italian league. Now, I trust myself and believe in my abilities.”
The Japanese goalkeeper joined Aston Villa for 30 million euros plus 5 million euros in incentives, taking on a fresh challenge under Unai Emery. Expectations ran high after Emiliano Martínez’s departure to Chelsea.
Suzuki sat on the bench against Brighton on his arrival before featuring in four Premier League matches against Arsenal, Hull City, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham. Add a Champions League tie with Club Brugge and an FA Cup meeting with Coventry.
Across those games he played 495 minutes, excluding 45 against Coventry, conceded seven goals and kept one clean sheet.
The numbers told only part of the story. Suzuki caught the eye with his shot-stopping, his handling and his ability to build attacks from the back, the very qualities that convinced Aston Villa to sign him.
The Birmingham Mail praised his start with the team, handing him an 8 out of 10 and pointing to his display against Tottenham, his saves and his passing under pressure.
The BBC also singled out that Tottenham performance, after he denied Savinho twice within seconds and showed off his skill in playing the ball forward, one of the traits Emery leans on in his style of play.
Villa supporters have joined the chorus too, chanting his name at Villa Park. It marks the start of a bond between the Japanese goalkeeper and the club’s fans following Martínez’s exit.
Emery affirmed his confidence in Suzuki, saying: “We needed a goalkeeper. He is a goalkeeper who has to save us, and he must be up to the responsibility in goal, and possess the qualities and skills necessary to build attacks.”
He added: “His style of play is very important, and he sometimes takes risks, but that is how he develops and learns. When building attacks, he can choose to play long balls because he has an excellent ability with through balls, and he did that for the second goal we scored.”
With his PSG move dead, Suzuki appears to have found at Aston Villa the space he craved. Now he can start proving himself in the Premier League under Emery.
