Highlights
- Chelsea have signed plenty of midfielders but another top name should remain a target.
- Valued at £55m, it would help avenge a disaster of the past.
- He’s one of the best players in the division at what he does.
Chelsea have already spent ludicrous amounts this summer, but they could be set to unload yet another big fee in an effort to avenge a failure of the past…
Who are Chelsea signing this summer?
With Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo the latest to enter Stamford Bridge, it would be easy to assume that Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield rebuild was complete.
However, given their free-spending philosophy thus far this window, it makes their next move simply impossible to predict.
There is every chance that they could even reignite an old rumour, with their reported interest in Everton’s Amadou Onana from June fitting in with the transfer strategy employed thus far.
He is young, dynamic and progressive, and seemingly most importantly for the Blues, very expensive.
It is expected that the Toffees will command a fee of around £55m to sanction his exit, given he only joined last summer in a £33m deal.
How good is Amadou Onana?
In returning to Goodison Park for a young star, it is hard not to draw comparisons with their 2015 attempt to sign John Stones.
The ball-playing centre-back had starred on Merseyside, with a skillset that was destined for things far greater than the struggles he was enduring with Everton.
Thus developed a huge transfer saga that lasted the entire summer of the aforementioned year, with Jose Mourinho desperate to bring the graceful defender to west London.
Three bids were rejected, and a satirical chant was forged by the fanbase of the Englishman: “Money can’t buy you Stones” sung the Evertonians, to the tune of The Beatles’ Can’t Buy Me Love.
However, in the end, money did end up buying the now-28-year-old, as they accepted Manchester City’s £47.5m bid the following summer. The rest is history.
He has risen to become one of the Premier League’s finest defenders, becoming a mainstay for Pep Guardiola and his country, earning praise from the Spaniard recently as his game has evolved:
“At the same time, it’s a new position for him [playing in midfield] and he has to be able all the time to concentrate more than when you play as a central defender or other positions.
“When you see the game from behind it’s completely different to when you play in the middle and are surrounded. Some movement and patterns are a little bit more difficult that’s why I appreciate a lot what he has done.”
The former Barnsley gem has gone on to make 230 appearances for the Citizens, playing a key role in the winning of five Premier League titles, numerous domestic trophies, and most recently a Champions League too.
FBref helps emphasise his stardom too, as when compared to other centre-backs across Europe he ranks in the top 4% for pass completion per 90, the top 11% for progressive passes per 90, and the top 7% for progressive carries per 90.
In Onana, there is certainly enough of a foundation for him to help spearhead Pochettino’s side towards similar levels of success, especially given the wealth of talent he would be surrounded by.
After all, starring for a relegation-threatened outfit is no mean feat, and his 6.92 average rating suggested he did so.
Ranked fifth among those who started five or more games in the league, this figure was upheld through an 84% pass accuracy alongside 0.7 key passes, 1.1 interceptions and 2.2 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
Such was his importance to Frank Lampard and later Sean Dyche, his national team boss Roberto Martinez noted him as: “Another unique profile. Someone with such a physical presence and dynamics is needed, just think of Fellaini in 2018. He is also a leader on the field who has taken steps in his career.”
Although his career is still in its infancy, should he emulate even half the success that Stones did at City with the west London outfit, Pochettino will be enamoured.