Aston Villa have completed the signing of Belgium international Amadou Onana in a £50m from Everton.
The midfielder, 22, joined Everton from Lille for £33m in 2022 and made 72 appearances, scoring four goals. He played a vital role in helping the Toffees avoid relegation from the Premier League this past season. The Senegal-born star played 30 times in the Premier League as Sean Dyche’s side finished 15th in the table, despite points deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules.
Amadou Onana played every minute of Belgium’s Euro 2024 campaign, which ended in disappointment as Domenico Tedesco’s side were eliminated at the round-of-16 stage by France. Now, he has the chance to take his game to the next level under Unai Emery and represent Aston Villa in the Champions League.
“I’ll be playing in the Champions League again and that’s very exciting,” said Amadou Onana in his first interview as Aston Villa player.
“We also have a manager that’s one of the best in the business and I think he can take my game to the next level.”
Amadou Onana brings quality to Aston Villa
With a Champions League campaign to look forward to in 2024/25, Unai Emery is wary that his squad needs more quality and depth to cope in the elite European competition on top of a domestic campaign. Players fitness and health have to be managed extremely well throughout the season in order to avoid burnout.
Aston Villa, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season, have signed Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea, Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley, Jaden Philogene and Lewis Dobbin. To fill in the void left by Douglas Luiz’s departure in a £42.35m deal to Juventus, the Villans have added Amadou Onana to the squad.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Onana would be the perfect foil for national teammate Youri Tielemans in the Villa engine room. His physicality, aerial prowess and tackling skills would allow the likes of Tielemans and John McGinn to drive forward and make an impact in the final third. Due to his towering presence, the Belgium international will be an asset for Emery’s side in both boxes.
That being said, Villa splashing £50m for a young, Premier League-proven commodity with a high ceiling is excellent business. Under Emery and his coaching staff, Onana will get the opportunity to unlock his true potential and become a star at Villa Park.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
