Aston Villa fans have quickly learned not to question Unai Emery as the manager has taken them from relegation fodder to the Champions League but that has not stopped Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes.
Unai Emery has overseen a busy summer at Aston Villa, with the sales of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby both raising a few eyebrows.
Luiz’ sale to Juventus was necessary in order for Aston Villa to comply with Premier League spending rules, whilst Villa saw fit to cash in on a £60 million offer from Saudi Arabia for Diaby after just one season.
There have been eight arrivals too, one of which is the unexpected return of Cameron Archer due to a relegation clause in his sale to Sheffield United last summer.
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Emery is looking to assemble a squad that can mix it with the best in Europe, but Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher have questioned one of Villa’s big-money acquisitions this summer.
Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher unconvinced by Aston Villa signing Amadou Onana
With the season drawing closer, Scholes and Carragher were joined on The Overlap by a fan representative of each Premier League club to preview the upcoming campaign.
When it came to assessing Villa this season, the Villans’ fan suggested that £50 million summer signing Amadou Onana could operate as a midfielder who could get forward more than he did at Everton.
However both Scholes and Carragher were unsure on this idea, with Scholes commenting: “I don’t really see the Onana thing. I’ve not seen it at Everton and I didn’t see at Belgium either. When they said £50 million for him I just thought ‘ooh that sounds a little bit too much’.
“Now, Emery being the manager he is, he might get something out of him, it might be a club that suits him, I don’t know, but where I’m stood now £50 million for him just seems like a lot of money.”
Carragher echoed this sentiment, adding: “Yeah, I was never really impressed with him too much at Everton.
“I thought he did alright when I saw him for Belgium – maybe a different style of football as well – but it’ll be interesting to see if he can replace Luiz in there.”
Onana can prove Emery right for Aston Villa this season
Villa fans won’t mind their side being doubted one bit after a season in which they shocked the world by finishing in the Premier League top four.
However, Onana will have some work to do to justify his sizeable fee; especially in the absence of Luiz.
It is something the Belgian will be confident he is capable of and, whilst he will likely anchor the midfield at least until Boubacar Kamara returns from injury around November, he will want to show he can help the side going forward too.
Emery will have a plan on how he wants to utilise Onana, and the arrivals of fellow midfielders Ross Barkley and Enzo Barrenechea this summer will also help push the 22-year-old to show his best in a Villa shirt.
