Amadou Onana has already matched his greatest Premier League scoring season for Everton by getting the opening objective in every of Aston Villa’s two wins thus far. He has the possibility to make it three towards his former membership at Villa Park on Saturday.
Onana’s £50m summer season swap was an intriguing one. Sean Dyche known as it “a enterprise resolution” resulting from Everton’s monetary scenario. However for Villa to interrupt their switch file recommended they noticed rather more in him than he had proven at Goodison Park.
Former Everton participant Michael Ball summed up the temper amongst Everton supporters when describing the transfer for instance of the “mistaken workforce on the mistaken time” – even claiming Tim Iroegbunam, signed from Villa, has already proven greater than Onana did.
However there’s a recognition too that it is a participant with a lot pure skill that the prospect of the now-23-year-old midfielder finally placing all the components collectively – maybe discovering the proper workforce on the proper time – makes him too tantalising to disregard.
“We signed Amadou Onana as a result of he’s younger and has massive potential,” Unai Emery tells Sky Sports activities. “We consider in his potential.” The Villa boss may also consider that he’s a coach able to coaxing much more from a younger participant who remains to be studying the sport.
It has been a serious adjustment for Onana. In the course of the worldwide window, the Belgium worldwide spoke of the lengthy days, the prolonged coaching periods, the tactical element that he has needed to tackle board, one thing for which Emery has lengthy been infamous.
Curiously, whereas Dyche was speaking in his pre-match press convention of giving Iroegbunam area earlier than loading him with an excessive amount of info, Emery was at Villa’s coaching floor telling Sky Sports activities of the work that must be executed to assist Onana.
Amadou Onana has described Unai Emery as probably the greatest within the enterprise
Onana can get to a ‘excessive stage’
Even after their summer season tour of america, it’s a course of that has solely simply begun. The distinction between the participant Onana is correct now and the one Emery thinks he might be is huge. “The hole is firstly massive, greater than we analysed,” he says.
“However we’re assured to extend his stage on this hole to get to the extent the place we will consider him as an excellent participant sooner or later. He’s [already] an excellent participant however we expect he can enhance and get to a excessive stage as a participant and assist us rather a lot on this means.”
Highlights from the Premier League conflict between West Ham and Aston Villa
Maybe it shouldn’t be a shock that the adjustment is critical. Onana has left the workforce that performed essentially the most lengthy balls within the Premier League final season for one which performed among the many fewest, solely 25 greater than short-passing consultants Manchester Metropolis.
Whereas away with Belgium, he stated: “Right here we play extra on possession. You often keep on the ball rather a lot longer. Sean Dyche wished to see extra direct soccer. Lengthy balls. Loads of second balls. Within the nationwide workforce, I get the ball extra. It fits me a bit of bit higher.”
Onana’s pass-completion price of 93.3 per cent with Villa is up from 84.9 per cent. It’s a crude statistic, early days certainly, nevertheless it hints at his skill to maintain possession, and whereas his objectives have attracted consideration, he has proven he can handle the ball.
Potential to associate Kamara
Emery doesn’t see Onana as a direct alternative for Brazil worldwide Douglas Luiz, who has left for Juventus. “We added two gamers with the same traits to Douglas,” he says. “Youri Tielemans final 12 months and Ross Barkley this 12 months.”
As an alternative, he argues that Onana has “roughly related traits” to Boubacar Kamara, the fan-favourite midfielder at the moment out by way of damage. “We wish two related gamers in every place or gamers with the flexibility to play totally different positions.”
Onana can do each as a result of Emery insists that the 2 may additionally line up alongside one another. “They will play collectively, Kamara and Onana. If we had been considering he couldn’t play with Kamara, perhaps it will not have been very straightforward to signal him,” he explains.
Amadou Onana scored the opening objective in Aston Villa’s win over Leicester
“However we’re considering with Kamara, with Ama, with Barkley and with Tielemans, they will play [in any combination of] two gamers or we may even play with three of them collectively in our construction that we’ve got. After all, we signed Enzo Barrenechea as effectively.
“He’s a younger participant who may develop effectively himself, enhancing and changing into essential for us. We determined to let him to go on mortgage and sooner or later we need to add him and for him to hitch us, taking part in in our construction in addition to an essential participant.”
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Everton check for Emery
That’s for the longer term. Extra instantly, there’s Everton at house. Victory towards Onana’s former membership on Saturday night, a primary of the season in entrance of their very own supporters at Villa Park, would make sure you transfer Emery’s facet again into the highest 4.
The model of the 2 groups could also be totally different however Dyche has Emery’s respect. “Final 12 months, they got here right here to play within the Carabao Cup they usually beat us. They received they usually deserved to win. I do know the coach, I do know the gamers. They’re very aggressive.
Saturday 14th September 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
“They’re coming right here needing factors. They’re going to play focusing 100 per cent on their traits as a workforce with the gamers, with the model that they’ve. However I respect them rather a lot. We now have to attempt to focus ourselves as effectively on our sport plan.
“We now have received two matches however it isn’t sufficient. We now have to proceed enhancing.” It’s a message for everybody forward of this match. However it’s a message related to their file signing, particularly. Onana is a expertise. Emery needs him to be a lot extra.
Watch Aston Villa vs Everton dwell on Sky Sports activities Premier League from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm. Stream with NOW.
