LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: Amadou Onana of Everton celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Southampton FC at Goodison Park on January 14, 2023 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Speaking about a transfer for the 22-year-old midfielder who was previously connected to Newcastle United, Aston Villa is reportedly in talks with Everton.
This weekend at Alnwick Castle, Paul Mitchell and the Newcastle board are strategizing for the summer transfer window, and Aston Villa appears to be on the verge of surpassing the Magpies in their pursuit of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.
Onana has been associated with Newcastle since October of last year, when he was mentioned as a potential replacement for Sandro Tonali following his 10-month ban.
The Belgium international was still being connected to Newcastle into the summer, but it appears that if they want to sign him now, it will be too late.
Aston Villa look set to nab Amadou Onana ahead of Newcastle
Sky Sports are reporting that Everton and Aston Villa are in talks over a £50million switch for Onana and the report reads as if it’s close to being sewn up.
Even if Onana had been on Newcastle’s radar, now that Paul Mitchell has arrived, it would make sense that the list of targets is likely to have changed and Onana may not have been on the list anymore.
Unai Emery seems to be on a mission to add options to his midfield as Villa are set to compete in the Champions League next season. The Villans have already brought in Ross Barkley from Luton Town and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus.
The need for a CDM seems to be more fan-driven
As for who Newcastle will turn to next, we imagine we’ll start seeing more movement from next week following the conclusion of this weekends summit at Alnwick Castle.
A defensive midfielder, so far, seems to be more of a want from fans and media than anyone from the club, especially if Eddie Howe is to stick with the same system as we’ve been playing since his arrival.
However, Howe has often said about deploying different tactics depending on where he feels the team are. He set the team up to be more cautious when trying to ensure Premier League survival, then the following season was much more attacking. Due to all the injuries last season, Howe probably never got to play how he wanted as he wouldn’t have had the personnel available to do so. So it’s not impossible that we see a new set-up next season.
