Why I truly believe Amadou Onana’s return can do more damage than good at Aston Villa
Amadou Onana hasn’t become the player Aston Villa had hoped for.
Onana signed for Villa from Everton for £50million over 12 months ago, but has failed to live up to expectations at Villa Park.
The Belgium international had a blistering start in claret and blue as Onana scored on his Villa debut against West Ham after just four minutes.
Things truly haven’t reached those heights ever since, as Onana continues to face injury worries for Villa.
Onana made a long-awaited return against Burnley last time out, but I think his comeback could cause more problems than positivity.
Amadou Onana to disrupt winning run at Aston Villa
I couldn’t believe just how bad the start to the season was in B6, with the 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace summing up how poor the Villans were.
The last four performances have been significantly improved and are now positive to watch for supporters.
Aston Villa last four results (All competitions):
- Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley
- Feyenoord 0-2 Aston Villa
- Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham
- Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
I was particularly pleased with the showing against Feyenoord, as it demonstrated true grit and determination that this Villa side can sometimes lack.
This is where my worry comes in, as I feel as if Onana’s introduction could cause a change to a tactical approach that has been highly effective.
The 24-year-old is a physical presence and represents a different option to the likes of Boubacar Kamara and Lamare Bogarde.
I just feel that this pairing have come on leaps and bounds in such a short period that it would be a risk to break them up at this stage.
Onana could halt Lamare Bogarde development
The young Dutchman has blown away all Villa fans in recent weeks.
I haven’t always been his biggest fan as a right-back or centre-half, but alongside Kamara, he looks to have found a home under Unai Emery.
He has a coolness on the ball that allows him to maintain stunning pass completion rates and keep the Villans ticking over.
Bogarde was excellent against Burnley, boasting a 97 per cent pass accuracy, while also winning three duels, three fouls, and completing two recoveries.
By comparison, Onana came on and didn’t really do much, as I felt let down by his two misplaced passes with a 50 per cent accuracy and one failed duel across his short cameo.
It is this that worries me, as I would much rather see Bogarde given the chance to thrive at the base of midfield rather than trying to shoehorn in the Belgian.
Aston Villa wasted £50m on Onana
There is no getting away from the fact that Onana was the wrong signing for Villa.
Emery already had Kamara and Youri Tielemans at his disposal, so adding a big-money option into that mix was a risk.
I don’t quite understand why it was taken, as it has never felt as if the ex-Everton man has ever been in Villa’s best 11 when everyone is fully fit.
He started on the opening day of the season against Newcastle and maintained a 100 per cent dribble success rate while completing 14 defensive actions.
Still, I think that limited Tielemans’ ability to influence the game and also stopped Morgan Rogers from playing in his best position.
It will be interesting to see what Emery makes of this after the international break, but I think Onana could do more harm to Villa than good.
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