Aston Villa have secured another important signing ahead of their Champions League campaign with Amadou Onana arriving from Everton.
Unai Emery defied the odds last season, helping Aston Villa secure a top four finish.
Villa have though been forced to balance the books this summer and that has meant some creative recruitment.
Star midfielder Douglas Luiz has been sold to Juventus with youngsters Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea heading in the opposite direction.
It was a similar story with Ian Maatsen as Villa landed the Chelsea left back with teenager Omari Kellyman moving to Stamford Bridge.
Another faux-swap saw Tim Iroegbunam join Everton with Lewis Dobbin arriving at Villa Park, whilst Villa have also brought back Jaden Philogene and Ross Barkley.
Amadou Onana on Aston Villa fans
Villa have now splashed the cash on a major addition.
Villa have pounced to land Everton midfielder Amadou Onana in a deal worth around £50million.
The Belgian featured at Euro 2024 and has shown real promise as a box-to-box player since joining Everton from Lille in 2022.
22-year-old Onana is a huge presence at 6ft 6in tall and adds a new dynamic to the Villa midfield.
Onana will now look to take his game to another level after two seasons of promise but consistency at times.
The midfielder has spoken to Villa’s official website and, alongside speaking about joining forces with Youri Tielemans, he drew attention to the Villa fanbase.
Onana noted that he has already played at Villa Park ‘several times’ and left feeling that the Villa fans are simply ‘amazing’.
Onana believes that he can bring something new to this Villa side and fans to ‘continue that vibe’ from last season, believing that the club can continue to move forward.
“It’s a great stadium with a great atmosphere and the fans are amazing,” said Onana. “I’ve played several times against the lads and I know how good they are. I’m ready to bring something to the team as well.”
“I want to bring this football club to the top. They had a tremendous season last season. We’ve got to continue that vibe and try to compete at the top,” he added.
Villa midfield options
Emery will have been gutted to lose Douglas Luiz, especially after such an impressive campaign last season.
Iroegbunam has moved on too whilst Morgan Sanson – a forgotten man at Villa Park – has finally left for good.
Barkley and Barrenechea offer options in midfield though and the same goes for Onana after his arrival.
Tielemans, John McGinn, Leander Dendoncker, Jacob Ramsey and the currently-injured Boubacar Kamara are in the mix too, meaning Villa have plenty of options in the engine room.
Few can match the physicality and box-to-box qualities of Onana though and he should be primed for a vital role at Villa having completed his big-money move.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
