Everton: Roberto Martinez raves about ‘really exciting’ Amadou Onana
Everton finally completed the signing of Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana on Tuesday (9 August) and he could make his debut against Aston Villa.
The 20-year-old joined from French side LOSC Lille for a reported £33million to add some much-needed steel into Frank Lampard’s midfield contingent after moving to Ligue 1 just last summer.
This is his second big move in as many years but his Belgium manager Roberto Martinez doesn’t think that will trouble him as he reminds the former Toffees boss of another Goodison favourite of years gone by.
“He’s a really exciting performer,” Martinez said on Sky Sports News [10 August, 9:05am]. “We’re talking about a 20-year-old boy who is one of the most talented young players in European football.
“That is how excited we are in Belgium. He joined Lille for a big fee already and nothing will phase him about going into a new project like this.
“He’s got the physicality and presence that Everton fans know very well in Marouane Fellaini and I can understand the excitement of Everton fans about him.
“It would be a shame to only speak about his technical ability. As a young man, he is already affecting other players in the dressing room and he wants to make an impact and grow with the club.
“He becomes a coach on the pitch and has that maturity and the manager can use him as a defensive role or as a box-to-box midfielder. He has captain material.”
Perfect
Lampard doesn’t really need a new captain right now with Seamus Coleman and Jordan Pickford the leadership duo right now but it never hurts to have a few more capable of that around the squad.
Onana also has age on his side compared to the other two so it would not be a surprise to see him wear the armband one day if he remains at Everton for a few years.
That could be a bigger challenge than it looks considering he has stayed at Lile for just one season before moving on to the Premier League but maybe this is where he finds his home.
His sheer physicality will be something Everton look to utilise to full effect from the off and he could be the player who turns the tide against an Aston Villa side who are similarly matched to the Toffees.
Alex Iwobi’s place in the midfield could not be under threat which is ultimately a good thing anyway because he is not a natural central midfielder by any stretch of the imagination.