Everton have completed the £33.7million capture of rising Belgium star Amadou Onana in a deal which represents something of a transfer coup for Blues boss Frank Lampard.
The club made the announcement official this lunchtime, confirming the 20-year old Lille midfielder has agreed a five-year contract at Goodison Park taking him to the end of June 2027. Onana had been in discussions with Premier League rivals West Ham over a move to London, but Everton swooped at the 11th hour, with director of football Kevin Thelwell and chairman Bill Kenwright determined to deliver Lampard’s number one target in the summer window.
Lampard was desperate for a mobile holding midfielder to give his side strength at its pivot, and the manager admitted he was delighted the club were prepared to spend big to get Onana, who has be tipped as Belgium’s next big player.
“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,” the Blues boss said. “I spoke to him about why Everton was the right club for him and we’re all looking forward to him showing what he can bring to the team.”
Onana becomes Everton’s fifth signing of the summer following the arrivals of defenders James Tarkowski and Ruben Vinagre, forward Dwight McNeil and centre-back Conor Coady.
And they hope to make it a sixth later this week, with the capture of PSG midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye. Lampard is still keen to bring in an extra forward too, with the club determined to find back up to the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin before the window closes.
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The 20-year-old midfielder has been coveted by some of Europe’s big clubs, but he believes he has made the right choice to come to Merseyside.
“It feels great to join Everton. I know it’s a big, big club, one of the biggest in England,” Onana said.. “It’s something I want to be part of for many years. Everyone here showed they really wanted me and they have a plan for me, so I really appreciated the talks I had with the manager and director of football [Kevin Thelwell]. They told me how they wanted me to play and I enjoyed it. They both have a lot of ambition and that’s the type of guy I am so it matches.”
Onana explained that the prospect of working with one of the best midfielders in the past 25 years in Lampard was a key factor in his decision.
“The manager was one of the big reasons. He played at the highest level, won many things and was a midfielder, too. It means a lot to have interest from him and I think he can teach me many things,” he said. “The Everton fans are amazing. I saw their support last season and it’s also one of the reasons why I chose Everton. I am looking forward to meeting them at Goodison and, just hearing about the atmosphere, I get goosebumps.”
The Senegal born player will take the number eight shirt, but explained that he can play all across the midfield to give Lampard several options. “I think I can play every position in centre midfield, whether that’s as a holding midfielder or a box-to-box as a number eight,” he said.
“I chose the number eight shirt because I am a big fan of Kobe Bryant. His work ethic and the way he was inspired me so I’m happy to have that number at Everton. I’m just excited to be on the pitch and show what I can do and help the team as much as I can.”
