Harry Watkinson
Amadou Onana: Everton’s new midfielder with GIANT potential
Everton are expected to officially complete the transfer of highly-rated Lille midfielder Amadou Onana on a £33.5 million deal this week, but what does he bring to the Toffees?
The towering 6ft5 20-year-old is mooted as one of the most exciting young centre-mids in Europe and Everton had to fight off a lot of competition to get the player.
This article breaks down his stats from the 2021-22 season to show what he immediately brings to Frank Lampard’s squad.
Attacking
The attacking side of Onana’s game is probably not why Everton have decided to sign the youngster, but for a defensive midfielder, he still provides a decent threat going forward.
The Belgium international is a versatile player, who can play as a number six or a number eight; providing Frank Lampard with some much-needed cover in midfield as Tom Davies and Andre Gomes remain injured and Allan is linked with a move away from Goodison Park.
Onana’s height offers a threat from set pieces, and he also isn’t afraid to take shots when he gets the opportunity. He can run with the ball effectively with pace – completing an average of 0.4 dribbles per match. It is this confidence, despite his young age, that has been very appealing to clubs around Europe.
His attitude has also been hailed by former Everton and current Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, who awarded Onana his first international call-up in June: "He has a strong personality. We saw him as soon as he started playing. He never hides, he asks for the ball and dares.”
He only scored three goals in all competitions for Lille last season, but with the guidance of one of the best goalscoring midfielders of all time with Frank Lampard, you can expect this side of his game to improve as he gets more experience for the Blues.
Played: 42
Dribbles per game: 0.4
Fouls won per game: 0.8
Shots per game: 0.5
Goals: 3
Playmaking
Onana is generally very involved in the matches he plays, averaging 41.1 passes per game, showing he’s not afraid to receive the ball from his teammates, which is something that is not always a given with young players.
Obviously, one thing you must be good at as a midfielder is passing, and Frank Lampard seems to be signing players who play effective long balls. The addition of James Tarkowski was a step in this direction, given his excellent pass success rate stats. Onana is also consistent in this regard, averaging 1.1 successful long balls per game for Lille. He also rarely gives the ball away, with an 83.3% pass success rate. This stat leaves room for improvement, but this will come naturally as he grows in experience.
However, Onana made only one assist last season, so this is an area of his game that he will be aiming to improve with his new club.
Passes per game: 41.1
Key passes per game: 0.5
Long balls per game: 1.1
Pass success rate 83.3%
Assists: 1
Defensive
However, the most impressive part of Onana’s game is undoubtedly his defensive ability. Frank Lampard looks like he will be implementing a five-at-the-back formation this season with Everton, using two holding midfielders to break up play and supply balls to the front three. For this reason, Everton’s centre-mids must be able to win the ball back and cover a lot of ground to help protect the back line. Onana looks to be the perfect fit for this role: he is an imposing figure due to his height and strength, but he loves a tackle too. The 20-year-old made the second most tackles per 90 of all players under 23 in Ligue 1 last season, averaging 3.2 per game. Evertonians will certainly love this about him.
Onana was also only dribbled past 0.5 times per game last season, thanks to his excellent tackle success rate of 87.3%. As noted by WhoScored, Van de Beek (68.2%) came closest to matching this return of all Everton players last season. Clearly, Onana will provide some much-needed solidity in the Toffees’ midfield.
Onana’s other defensive stats are impressive too. He is an effective reader of the game; making 0.9 interceptions per 90 minutes. He also wins 0.8 aerial duels per match, which is of course helped by his towering height. Everton have not had a big presence in the middle of the park since the departure of Marouane Fellaini in 2013, who quickly became a fan favourite; so Everton fans have reason to be excited.
The main thing about Onana though is that he is just 20 years old and according to scouts and pundits, the sky is the limit when it comes to his potential. If he continues to progress at the rate he did at Lille last season, we could be looking at one of the best Everton signings for a long time.
Tackles per game: 3.2
Tackle success rate: 87.3%
Interceptions per game: 0.9
Fouls per game: 1
Clean sheets: 12
