Aston Villa ace Amadou Onana reacts after contract extension news
Amadou Onana has become a fan favourite since joining Aston Villa less than one year ago.
Onana broke the Villans’ transfer record when he arrived from Everton last summer for a reported £50million.
The defensive midfielder was sidelined for parts of last season with injuries, but still showed his qualities in the centre of the park in the games he was available for.
The Belgium international has settled in well in the West Midlands and has become a respected voice in the dressing room despite being only 23 years old.
Onana’s future has been somewhat in doubt this summer as Villa battle PSR issues, and the midfielder has taken to Instagram to react to contract extension news.
Jarrad Branthwaite extends contract at Everton
The start of the new financial year coincided with the transfer market reigniting, prompting Villa to sign Zépiqueno Redmond (1 July).
Over at Onana’s former club, all the talk has been about Jarrad Branthwaite following Chelsea and Spurs’ interest in signing the England international.
However, Branthwaite posted an update on Instagram (2 July) stating that he had signed a contract extension with the Toffees, which will tie him to the Merseyside club until 2030.
This elicited a response from Onana, who duly liked his former teammate’s post.
Aston Villa and Everton have a long history of trading players, including Ashley Young and Tim Iroegbunam over the last two years.
Villa must build a team around Onana
Onana’s immediate impact under Unai Emery shows that Villa must repel interest in the player and build their squad around the talented defensive midfielder.
The Club’s hierarchy could be tempted to sell Onana to Saudi Arabia, but even if the Belgian could command a large fee, he would be near-impossible to replace adequately.
Onana is perfectly suited to Emery’s system at the base of the midfield and offers an important screen ahead of the centre-backs, which allows more attack-minded players like Morgan Rodgers to bomb forward freely.
He is also an excellent ball carrier and very press-resistant, qualities his Spanish manager needs to retain if Villa are to push for a UEFA Champions League spot again.
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