Aston Villa opted to spend big on Amadou Onana this summer, and the early signs from the Belgian midfielder are certainly promising as he adapts to his role under Unai Emery.
As per BBC Sport, the 22-year-old is said to have arrived from Everton in a deal worth £50m, and so the pressure and expectation on his shoulders to develop into an influential figure for us in the coming years is huge.
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One thing we know for certain though, is that Villa and Emery wouldn’t have invested such a significant fee in a player unless they were entirely convinced that he was an excellent fit for what the Basque coach is implementing and trying to build at the club. From what we’ve seen in pre-season thus far, it looks like it could be another astute piece of business.
Admittedly, it is only pre-season and so the true test and real judgement comes later. However, at this stage of our preparations for the new campaign, it’s important to see trends and potential, and we saw some clear indications against RB Leipzig on not only how talented Onana is, but how effective he could be in our midfield.
Aside from his physical attributes with his height, athleticism, agility and strength to be a defensive presence in front of the backline as he broke up play effectively out of possession, Onana’s role is going to evolve and develop at Villa given what we’re seeing from him so far in possession.
Whether it’s a quick one-two with the right-back to play around a high press and get us moving up the pitch with rhythm and tempo, short and sharp passes with his midfield partner or a switch of play to the opposite flank to exploit space across the pitch, Onana is seemingly going to have increased responsibility and range to his role under Emery, and he has made a very solid first impression.
As seen in the compilation below from his performance against Leipzig, all those strengths and qualities were on show, and paired with the best option alongside him in our midfield pivot, he’ll give Emery that all-important control in games through not only his ability to regain possession, but also to retain it, giving us a foothold in games and making us a more imposing side.
Amadou Onana vs RB Leipzig pic.twitter.com/qQfAswuz1k
— EB10 (@astonvilla___) August 1, 2024
It’s a fundamental change from the Villa boss in terms of the make up of our expected starting midfield, and it’s a theme that has run through most of our summer signings. Emery evidently felt that we were lacking physicality, athleticism and height across the board to be a side capable of dominating games consistently, and adding a player like Onana certainly addresses those concerns.
That said, we do lose a lot too with no Douglas Luiz in terms of creativity and a goal threat, but there’s no reason not to believe that Onana or his midfield partner will be given that same freedom to try and be an influence in the attacking phase too.
Competition for places will remain fierce though, with John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Ross Barkley and Enzo Barrenechea all pushing for playing time, and perhaps the most fascinating selection headache that Emery will have is when Boubacar Kamara returns from injury.
Many of those mentioned above have the flexibility and versatility to play in other roles which is important, particularly as we try to compete on multiple fronts and ultimately target winning silverware this season.
A midfield duo of Onana and Kamara could be special in allowing our attacking players the freedom to do damage in the final third and have the necessary defensive cover behind them, but in the more immediate future, it looks as though Villa have strengthened the spine of the side with a player of Onana’s stature and playing style, and he’ll hope to showcase his full potential and ability under Emery in the coming years.