Arsenal transfer news as Everton midfielder Amadou Onana eyed up as Thomas Partey replacement
Arsenal are keeping tabs on Everton midfielder Amadou Onana as a possible midfield replacement for Thomas Partey, according to Sami Mokbel.
The journalist provided an update on Arsenal’s transfer business in an article for the Daily Mail [18 December].
Partey has been a regular for the Gunners over the past few seasons when available, but he is due to be out of contract at the end of next season.
Mokbel wrote: “Arsenal are already planning for life without Partey, whose contract expires in 18 months.
“Aston Villa midfielders Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey are highly rated by recruitment staff.
“Fulham’s Joao Palhinha is another who is under consideration, but at 28 his profile doesn’t fit the club’s recruitment strategy. Everton’s Amadou Onana is being watched closely.”
Assured presence
Onana has been a key player for Everton this season, so it is little wonder one of the Premier League’s elite clubs are keeping an eye on him.
The 22-year-old was man of the match for the Toffees in their 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday (16 December), a game in which he opened the scoring.
Onana leads the way in a number of metrics this season among Everton players, most notably for pass-success rate (85.4 per cent) per game [WhoScored].
If Arsenal are looking for a player who can break up play, while also helping to keep it ticking along for his side, then a move for the Belgium international makes sense.
However, Onana still has three-and-a-half years to run on his contract at Goodison Park, and Everton will see no reason to consider selling, so it will take a big bid from Arsenal.
With a move into a state-of-the-art new stadium on the horizon, the Toffees will be more concerned about further adding quality to their squad at this point, rather than detracting from it.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are reportedly in the hunt to sign a player who was dubbed “phenomenal” last year.