Arsenal set to prioritise Everton’s Amadou Onana among midfield targets for the summer
Premier League giants Arsenal are in the market for a new midfielder for next season as Mikel Arteta looks to add substance to his squad.
As per reports from TEAMtalk, Everton midfielder Amadou Onana is high up on the Gunners’ list. The Belgian can play central midfield and also in defensive midfield and is very talented. Aged just 22, he would be a perfect fit for the kind of recruitment Arsenal have done in recent times.
A hamstring injury to Thomas Partey meant the Ghanaian midfielder missed a bulk of the club’s season. He has played just 341 minutes across five games for the Gunners this season, putting all the workload on new signing Declan Rice.
In contrast to Partey, Rice has played 2,887 minutes across 35 games and has mostly been the lone holding midfielder for his team. However, with Arsenal having ambitions of competing at a high level in every competition, they will need cover. Despite being one of the most durable and reliable midfielders around, even Declan Rice is susceptible to setbacks.
What will Amadou Onana bring to Arsenal?
This is where Amadou Onana comes in. Equally good with both feet, he can provide adequate cover should Partey or even Jorginho be sidelined. With the former’s future up in the air still, it seems Onana will only have to rotate with Jorginho should he join.
Onana signed for Everton from French side Lille for a fee in the region of £33 million in August 2022. Since then, he has made 61 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and providing three assists. He is a mainstay in Sean Dyche’s set-up and has only missed four games through injury this season.
Standing at a towering 6’5”, Amadou Onana is surprisingly mobile for his size. He is good at progressing the ball and can also distribute it long with precision. Still in the early stages of his career, there is still a chance to mould him into a complete box-to-box midfielder. This is something Mikel Arteta will be keen on doing.
Additionally, Arsenal and Everton have shared a good relationship, with players moving both ways in recent times. Considering his age and his raw talent, the Toffees are likely to demand a fee upwards of £50 million for their player.
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