Sky Sports pundit issues warning on Everton headline signing Amadou Onana after what he has seen
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Key Everton midfield signing Amadou Onana is “getting caught” and needs to “learn how to play quicker” says Kevin Campbell after the Belgian’s first two league games.
The £33.5million Belgian was disposed soon after coming on for his debut at Aston Villa and saw the home side score from the attack, and had a couple of similar instances in the draw with Nottingham Forest a week later, as he looks to adapt to English football.
Sky Sports pundit and former Toffees captain Kevin Campbell thinks his internal timer needs to speed up quickly so he can understand the tempo of the Premier League otherwise opposition players will keep robbing him of the ball.
“I’ve got something to say about this,” he said immediately, speaking exclusively to Goodison News.
“You can see when Onana gets the ball he takes a touch, now maybe it’s obviously where he’s been playing before in the French league he gets more time on the ball, he’s getting caught.
“He got caught at Villa. He got caught against Forest.
“There’s a timer in your head when you play in the Premier League. His timer hasn’t adjusted yet.
“That’s one thing he’s got to do. He’s got to learn how to play quicker.
“A lot of the time they say the best midfielders know what they’re doing with the ball before it comes.
“You do not have the luxury of taking a touch, having a look, and then doing it. In the Premier League the ball’s off your toes, they’ll rob you.
“So you’ve got to know, touch-move it, you’ve got to know what you’re going to do with it.
“He’ll adjust, but again, having Idrissa Gueye there behind him or beside him could help in his progression.
“Look, he’s still got so much to learn. He’s got unbelievable attributes. But that timer in his head has to adjust.”
If the Gueye deal can be forced over the line in the final days of the transfer window it could make all the difference to the youngster’s progression to have a veteran presence next to him.
Either way the ex-Lille midfielder is going to need to understand that he doesn’t have the amount of time he wants on the ball if he is going to avoid further mistakes.
Once in possession and going forward he looks formidable but there are still some growing pains for a player who is only embarking on this third season in senior football.