In a transfer window that has seen Everton sign two no-nonsense centre-backs and a winger relegated last season with Burnley; lose top goalscorer Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur and with the possibility of fan favourite Anthony Gordon also leaving, the sight of a promising Belgian international arriving at Goodison Park will naturally capture the imagination of Everton supporters.
The Goodison Park crowd have an eye for both style and substance and Amadou Onana may just have both. The 21-year-old, who has signed for £33m from Lille, made a brief but highly eventful introduction to the Premier League at Aston Villa last weekend, whereby he lost possession in the build-up to Villa’s winner, then created a consolation goal before almost salvaging an unlikely equaliser — all within a 15-minute cameo.
Onana’s display at Villa Park certainly offered a glimpse of the dynamic midfield presence that Everton crave, and the Belgian could make his full debut for the club against Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.
Frank Lampard, who absolved the 6ft 4in midfielder of any blame against Villa, said that he would always welcome a player who is willing to receive the ball and play forwards. However, the Everton manager will not rush Onana into the starting XI if it’s not right for the player, who is nursing a slight knock.
“He’s certainly in contention and [whether to start him] is a call for me to make,” Lampard said. “I’m giving it as long as I possibly can. I think he is going to have a big impact, we’ve already seen a glimpse of that, but we need to do the right thing by the player and the team.
“He had missed a big chunk of pre-season and this is the Premier League and I don’t want to throw him in there too soon. So the right time and the right minutes is something we will be managing over the next couple of weeks.
“He has a really big presence and settled in very quickly. He’s a very good team-mate and gives off a good energy every day in training. He’s got a voice, for a young player, and is a smart boy — he is going to be a big player for us, but it’s the start for him so we have to be a little patient.”
'Gordon is a hugely valuable asset'
Everton, whose defeat to Villa came on the back of losing 1-0 to Chelsea on the opening weekend, will be aiming to pick up their first points of the campaign when they welcome Steve Cooper’s newly-promoted team. Lampard said the mood around the training ground was good, even though uncertainty surrounds the futures of Gordon and Dele Alli.
The Everton manager reiterated that Gordon is not for sale — Chelsea have had two bids for the England youngster rejected — and Lampard rates the player highly and does not want to see him leave.
“He is an Everton player,” he said. “He has a huge value to the team and is a hugely valuable asset to the club, one we have developed ourselves and brought through and who has a link to the fans. Anthony is our player and we are not looking in a situation of where can we go in this deal.”
Dele, on the other hand, has started just once in 13 appearances since signing a two-and-a-half-year contract in January, and Lampard acknowledged that if the right circumstances arise for both player and club then the 21-year-old could leave before the transfer window closes.
“There is interest in Dele, that has come out publicly,” Lampard said. “That is one for us to consider behind the scenes and for Dele to consider, for him to go would have to be right for everybody.”
“The moment Dele’s name comes up in the media, people queue up to have an opinion and it’s often negative and I don’t think that is fair to a young man whose talent took him on to the world stage at a young age.
“I think everyone was aware of the curve of his career and that was something you take into account. In my job you have to have the football side and the human side. I like Dele and I want to help him. The main thing I want to do is be a support for the players. The only thing I know for sure is that hard work correlates on the pitch.”