Everton transfer news: Amadou Onana January exit a possibility after ‘crystal ball’ admission
Amadou Onana said he does not have a “crystal ball” when asked if he would still be an Everton player for the rest of the season.
The Belgium midfielder was the subject of a reported approach by Manchester United in the summer (Guardian, 14 August), while Chelsea were also credited with an interest (Daily Mail, 16 June).
A move never materialised but, when asked by Belgian publication La Capitale (11 October) if he sees himself doing the full season at Everton, Onana was pretty non-committal on his future beyond January at Goodison Park.
“That was my goal at the start of the season. But like I said, I don’t have a crystal ball,” he said.
“I am not able to tell you what will happen in the future. For the moment, I remain 10 per cent focused on my performance on the pitch. This is what will determine my future and that of the club.”
Interesting
Everton’s continued financial issues off the pitch mean that decent bids for any players would probably be considered in January to try and help balance the books.
That will probably be true even if the contentious takeover by 777 Partners gets the green light from the Premier League, after all funds will probably still need to be raised to fund any incoming.
Onana is one player who looks prime to be plucked from another club at some point, given his age and undoubted potential. It would not have been much of a surprise to see Everton cash in during the summer had an actual bid been lodged.
With these latest comments it further casts doubt on whether Onana will still be at Goodison Park beyond the January transfer window. Sean Dyche will be reticent to lose such a key player of course, and having Onana on board means there is a great chance to avoid another relegation battle.
It is a decision that may end up being taken out of his hands, though. Let’s all hope that Onana stays put until at least the end of the campaign.
In other Everton news, Wayne Rooney has been tipped to be the next manager at Goodison Park by one talkSPORT pundit.