Amadou Onana is set to be a central character in Everton’s summer for a second consecutive year.
The young midfielder was the marquee signing of director of football Kevin Thelwell’s first transfer window. The allure of working under Frank Lampard was a key factor in the Blues being able to fight off rivals for his signature.
Almost 12 months on, Lampard has gone and his replacement Sean Dyche has acknowledged there is a chance he may need to sell players if he is to fund a rebuild.
The transfer window opened this week with reports of interest in Onana. But should Everton be open to sizeable offers for the Belgian international, several issues may need to be taken into account - including the decision of Tom Davies over his future at the club.
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Onana made 33 appearances in his debut campaign in L4. He was in the directors box at Goodison Park for the opening fixture against Chelsea ahead of his move from French side Lille and was then brought on for his debut in the closing stages of the trip to Aston Villa seven days later. That cameo at Villa Park was a tumultuous first experience of Premier League football for the 21-year-old in which he conceded possession for Villa’s second goal before bursting forward to create Everton’s only goal of the game.
Onana, who is part of the Belgium senior squad, was most impressive in Dyche’s first game - producing a dominant performance in the win over Arsenal. Such was his role in that match his display was a big topic of conversation in the Arsenal dressing room with senior players acknowledging his impact.
Arsenal are in the hunt for midfield improvements this summer, but the club’s focus is primarily directed towards Declan Rice and only a defeat in that battle would force a pivot that could eventually lead to interest in Onana.
There is said to be more concrete interest from Chelsea with Belgian football specialist Sacha Tavolieri, who worked with Onana for a short film in April of last year, reporting the London club had “resumed discussions” over a possible deal - one that he claimed Onana was open to. Chelsea currently appear to be in the hunt for another central midfielder, Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, however.
Whether Everton would be open to selling Onana remains to be seen and the club is still in the early stages of its instalments to Lille over the £33.5m deal that was signed off last August. Asked whether he would need to ‘sell to buy’ this summer, Dyche said after the final day win over Bournemouth: “There's a chance. I'll find out about that.”
He will likely now know the answer and further insight on Everton’s approach to the transfer window may be forthcoming from Thelwell, who is scheduled for an appearance on club media channels this month.
Any decision to allow Onana to leave is unlikely to be taken lightly. The club recognise the vast potential of the former Belgium Under-21 captain and, with Dyche preferring to play three centre midfielders in his opening months on Merseyside, he could be left with just three trusted senior options in that position should Onana be sold and Davies, whose current deal expires at the end of this month, turn down the offer of a new contract.
Other options do exist - Dele Alli, Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin all return to Everton after loan spells and Dyche, who spoke with Dele before the end of the season and was positive about their discussion, could choose to give them an opportunity to force their way into his plans. All three are on big wages though and relying upon them would be a gamble given the form that led to Everton allowing them to play elsewhere last season. Meanwhile, Gbamin’s agent has said he does not expect the player to stay at Goodison Park.
Also of note is the Africa Cup of Nations, which is set to take place across January and February of 2024 and which could lead to two starting centre midfielders - Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure - missing four Premier League games. They represent Senegal and Mali, respectively - though Doucoure has not been part of recent squads.
Alex Iwobi, who deputised in the middle under Lampard, could also be unavailable for the same reason, the 27-year-old being part of the Nigeria set up. Should Onana remain at Everton and Davies sign a new deal, then the pair would be able to cover a three man midfield with James Garner if Doucoure is involved in the tournament.
Either way, the decision of Davies will be significant and should he depart then Everton could already be forced into looking for an additional midfielder. Should Onana be sold, that could stretch to two new options being sought, the hunt likely taking up valuable funds needed elsewhere.
Along with Jordan Pickford, Onana is one of few players likely to command a fee big enough to help pay for the strengthening of the squad in key areas such as upfront and at full-back though, even with outstanding payments and future sale clauses in relation to Lille.
He is ambitious and while he has praised Everton supporters and spoken of the bond that has been forged with them, Onana recently suggested his ambitions may lie elsewhere. Earlier this year, he told French publication SO FOOT of his hopes for the next five years: "I see myself having had a lot of life experiences, which will have made me learn a lot about human beings in general, as well as about myself. I see myself, God willing, in one of the biggest clubs recognised worldwide."
Should Everton be willing to countenance a deal it would be crucial to avoid a repeat of the issues that surrounded one of the club’s brightest young talents over the past two transfer windows. Preparations for last season were undermined by the speculation surrounding Chelsea’s interest in Anthony Gordon into the final days of the summer window, while his eventual sale to Newcastle United in January came too late to get any other deals over the line.
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