Amidst the darkness, there’s a light somewhere – precisely how Amadou Onana was there for Everton last season. The 21-year-old Belgian midfielder was a standout performer for the Toffees in a season that was filled with despondency.
Everton were kissing the relegation berth the whole season and luckily missed the 18th spot by a whisker; letting Leicester gain the public’s criticism. While they may have just missed out on losing their spot in Premier League, they could not save themselves from huge burdens of debt.
Everton have incurred losses exceeding £370million over the last 3 years and are in deep need of funds. While an improved performance can surely help but it is the sale of quality players that usually helps bottom loiters survive this huge league. Everton only have three big names on their list who can help them enjoy this luxury.
The first one being Jordan Pickford who only has one suitor in Manchester United and are not as likely to go all in for the Englishman this season. The second one is Dominic Calvert-Lewin who remains plagued with injury more than he scores and is unlikely to have any suitor this season because of the same reason.
Now the only lethal option left for Sean Dyche’s team is to sell Amadou Onana who will easily earn them twice of what they spent on him.
And the question is not whether they should sell him because it’s inevitably going to happen eventually if not soon; the question really is should they sell the youngster for twice the money or wait 2-3 years like Brighton does with their players and earn more than just twice the money invested?
The Pros & the Cons of Adamou Onana and Everton
In a transfer, there are losers and winners. The definite losers here, if Onana leaves the Goodison Park, will be the Evertonians. However, the subjectivity surrounding Onana, his future with the club, and his place in Sean Dyche’s side does not really allow us to pick the clear winners. Whilst Onana hasn’t done justice to the fees put on him, he surely has done the hard runs on the pitch.
Onana made 29 starts in the 38 games that he played for Everton this season but the 6 foot 5 inch tall midfielder has not repaid the £34 million paid for him on the offensive front. However, in the defensive sphere, Onana has been the best and clearly amongst the top few defensive midfielders in terms of tackles.
He has the pace, long legs, agility, footballing brain, and fearlessness to steal the ball from opponent’s nose. The youngster has not been a wonder with the ball under his feet but has surely been the world-class talent that he is with movements away from the ball. His game sense is second to none and reads the game as fast as he runs.
We have seen him run back to his box to help the defenders and a lot of times not let them come into play by making interceptions before the attackers reach his box.
What can we expect?
Well, there are rumours of Onana not happy being at Everton but there are equal claims of stating those rumours as untrue. Whether Onana wishes to stay or not is secondary to his coach and owner, both in different aspects.
While Seam Dyche’s style of play doesn’t necessarily suit the defensive midfielder which we saw in the latter stages of the Premier League where he was benched. We may also see him get a fair early exit if the club executives look to cash him in.
There are interests from Chelsea who will not shy away from paying £60 million for the midfielder. And having sold almost everyone, the Blues will surely look to slash a few millions for Onana whose chances of going to London will only increase if Caicedo doesn’t sign for the Blues.
Onana is still a toddler in the Premier League and his frailty in the attacking position may well be an excuse for him to stay. If Everton are to adopt the Brighton-esque system, we will definitely see him continue to play for the Merseyside club and if they are to cash in for Onana, it will be a desperate rush for money which can further incur losses to Everton considering their depth being weakened.
Either way, the former Lille guy is set to experience huge turbulence in the coming weeks.
MUST READ: The Art of Resilience: Sean Dyche’s Blueprint for Success