Amadou Onana discusses the future of Goodison Park; he may already be out of Everton following recent comments.
Everton midfielder Amadou Onana may already be considering leaving Goodison Park in January.
Despite having a difficult year at Goodison Park, the high-profile £33 million signing that brought the Belgian international to the stadium last summer has quickly made him a star player and a fan favorite.
Onana has drawn a lot of attention from the Premier League’s elite as a result of his quick ascent to prominence in the English top division and his stunning performances for a failing Everton club.
Manchester United reportedly made an attempt for the Belgian midfielder in the summer (Guardian, 14 August), while Chelsea was also said to be interested (Daily Mail, 16 June).
The Toffees were reportedly under pressure to sell the 22-year-old star, who shone during the 2022–23 season, according to a report in The Daily Mail on July 11. This was due to the club’s severe financial limitations, which were made worse by the significant funding of their new Bramley–Moor Dock Stadium development and the FFP pressures Everton is facing.
Since the club eventually completed some vital business, the manager Sean Dyche will have felt a great deal of satisfaction that no such transactions occurred over the summer.
The Belgian’s recent media comments, however, strongly imply that he might put an earlier stop to his career on the blue half of Merseyside.
The former LOSC Lille player intimated in September (Le Soir, 5 September) that he must wait until he inevitably leaves for greener pastures and that he doesn’t want to rush any decisions but is totally focused at Everton.
When asked if he could stay at Goodison Park for the long term more than a month later, the 22-year-old responded that he doesn’t have a “crystal ball” and that one of his long-held goals is to play in the Champions League.
When he spoke with La Capitale on October 11, he said:
“I had the opportunity to play in the Champions League with Lille two years ago,” he said.
“However, it does inspire me to participate in events of this nature in the future. I must put in the effort and demonstrate on the field that I am capable of participating in such games.
“At the beginning of the season, that was my objective. I don’t have a crystal ball, though, as I said before,” he added.
I’m unable to predict the future, so please do not ask. I’m still 10% focused on how I’m doing on the field right now. This will influence both my and the club’s future.
While the 22-year-old is understandably focused on the task at hand at Goodison Park, he is not completely ruling out leaving Everton sooner than anticipated.
Everton’s ongoing financial problems off the field imply that reasonable offers for any players would likely be taken into consideration in January in an effort to try to balance the books.
Onana is obviously utilizing his time at the club as a stepping stone to a greater stage, and considering his exceptional skills, it won’t be long before the top clubs start calling with sizable offers.
Even in the event of an impending purchase by 777 Partners, this substantial offer might be extremely advantageous to the Toffees, and considering Onana’s previous comments, it appears as though he has already checked out.
