Unai Emery will be encouraged by what Frank Lampard said about Aston Villa’s new signing Amadou Onana.
On Monday, Aston Villa announced the signing of Amadou Onana from Everton in a deal worth £50m.
The Belgian arrives at Villa Park after reports confirmed Unai Emery’s interest in signing the player, who joined Everton back in 2022 from LOSC Lille.
Onana arrives having impressed greatly during his short stay at Goodison Park, joining Villa at a time when the club have been searching for a new midfielder.
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What Frank Lampard said about Aston Villa signing Amadou Onana
The man responsible for bringing Onana to the Premier League two years ago is Frank Lampard, who knows more than most what it takes to be a top midfielder in the English top flight.
The former Chelsea ace was not wrong in his assessment of Onana, who has risen as one of the best in the Premier League since his arrival from Lille, being a force to be reckoned with in the engine room.
When the 22-year-old was unveiled at Goodison Park, Lampard expressed his delight at capturing his signature, as relayed by BBC.
“Amadou is a player we were really keen to bring to Everton.
“He has many great qualities to help strengthen our midfield and, at just 20 years old, has massive potential to get even better.”
Two years down the line, it’s Emery who will have the chance to explore the talents of the midfielder, with Lampard’s first assessment of the player giving the Spaniard something to look forward to.
Unai Emery can develop Onana to a new level at Villa
Still only 22, it’s exciting to envisage how much further Onana can blossom in the Premier League, particularly with Emery as his coach.
The Spaniard is responsible for getting the best out of an array of players in his career, including a host at Villa Park.
For example, with Ollie Watkins, the former Arsenal boss transformed the sometimes-reliable forward into one of the best marksmen in Europe, something that could be done with Onana.
Fortunately, Emery has something to work with, as despite still being young, Onana has a tremendous amount of experience for his age playing in some of Europe’s top leagues.
Given what Villa have lost in midfield through Douglas Luiz, it will be particularly interesting to see if the boss can unlock the progressive parts of Onana’s skillset, which could make him a player close to Luiz’s profile.
Lampard’s comments on the Villa signing’s potential being ‘massive’ are encouraging for Emery, with the manager one of the best qualified to take a raw player to the next level.
