According to football.london, Arsenal are looking into a deal to sign Amadou Onana. The Belgian international has played 21 games for Everton this season, scoring twice and assisting once, but those are not the reasons the Gunners want him.
Onana, who signed from Lille in 2022 as a 20-year-old, has become an important part of Sean Dyche’s plans, but he is open to moving up the Premier League ladder. Arsenal is only exploring the possibility of a move because they are working under strict Profit and Sustainability rules.
However, it would be an important addition to a midfield that requires more reinforcement in this area. Onana is primarily a defensive midfielder, so he would fit in where Declan Rice has previously played.
This would allow Rice to play as he did against Liverpool this weekend, as Jorginho sat in front of the back four and performed admirably. Despite their frustrations in the final third, the midfield stood out and contributed to a dominant first half performance.
That first-half performance was a result of Martin Odegaard being given more freedom by this defensive-first pairing of players. Five of the 13 shots were on target compared to Liverpool’s 0 on target.
Onana would enhance that template’s quality and complexity even more. However, given that Declan Rice has been the Gunners’ most exceptional player thus far this season, how does the Belgian compare?
Starting in the defensive zone, Onana outperforms Rice in terms of tackle efficiency, recording 2.81 tackles per ninety minutes as opposed to the Arsenal player’s 2.16, per FBRef. He emerges again with 1.71 tackles won per ninety, compared to 1.24 for Rice.
With interceptions per 90 (1.55 > 0.62) blocks per 90 (1.19 > 0.89) and clearances per 90 (1.75 > 1.03), Rice, predictably, returns strongly.
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Passing through In terms of completion percentage (96.1% > 86.2%) and passes into the final third per 90 (8.61 > 3.42) Rice is once again in the lead, but surprisingly, the Belgian has made more attempts to pass into the box (0.93 > 0.68). The context of Arsenal and Everton is crucial; their relative ball control, skill level, and standing in the standings must all be considered.
It would be unrealistic to expect Onana to defeat Rice because he has arguably been the best player in his role, a claim that is disputed by Rodri and Joao Palhinha. Still, it’s encouraging to see how direct his passing is and how strong his tackling is.
At the age of 22, he is now a full Belgian international and has a lot more room for growth under Arteta’s guidance. In addition to giving Arsenal much-needed depth at a position, it may also help Rice in the midfield produce more.
The way the club completes it raises a question mark. Financially speaking, it is undoubtedly a difficult task, but Edu Gaspar has demonstrated his ability to close unusual deals, as demonstrated with David Raya; perhaps he is about to pull off another surprise transfer.
If the money is available for Onana, then why hasn’t the club moved for a striker? The answer is actually very straightforward. Players who the club believes can fill the No. 9 role forward, such as Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen, are out of their price range and do not have any other options within their budget.
The midfield spot is ranked next, which makes sense given Thomas Partey’s history of injuries and the aging depth of Mohamed Elneny and Jorginho. Of course, Onana’s Premier League experience would also come at the ideal age, giving Arteta more options going forward.
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