Journalist says one Everton star has ‘stepped it up a level’ this season

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Everton has played host to some truly immeasurable talent over the years, but never had the financial backing or the infrastructure to support them with supplementary stars.

As such, those once-in-a-lifetime players like Wayne Rooney, Romelu Lukaku and John Stones were always bound to seek greener pastures, especially when the elite came calling.

They even felt that sting as recently as 2022 with Richarlison’s £60m exit, as their top asset once again departed as the club could no longer match his ambitions.

With Amadou Onana, Sean Dyche will be hoping that history does not repeat itself, as the 22-year-old continues his rapid development which has seen interest from those top clubs emerge.

Having signed in 2022 for £33m, his acquisition marked an important one given the influential figure he has fast grown into.

However, The Athletic’s Paddy Boyland is now suggesting that this season has marked a new high for the Belgium international.

When answering comments following a recent article, he replied to one fan suggesting the former LOSC Lille man had been immense against West Ham United: ‘He was. And at Anfield. Stepped it up a level from last season. There was a late sliding tackle and run that showed what he’s all about. Top potential.’

How good is Amadou Onana?

For someone so young, it is truly astounding how comfortable the £100k-per-week maestro is at the Premier League level.

Some can never reach the quality necessary to compete in such a gruelling division, and yet already he is dominating games not just with his towering physique, but his incredibly technical assets too.

As such, he is not only mustering 2.8 tackles and 6.9 ball recoveries per game in the league, but also averaging an 84% pass accuracy and 0.8 key passes per game, via Sofascore.

Combative yet classy, Everton‘s nine-cap ace improves with each passing week, as Boyland noted, and has understandably earned praise from many.

To keep him on Merseyside for a few more years could prove imperative in breaking that trend of star departures, instead using him as the foundation with which to forge a brighter future for a club so often engulfed in darkness.