Former Newcastle United defender Philippe Albert has expressed his surprise that Amadou Onana remains on the books at Everton.
There was some talk of Amadou Onana leaving Everton in the recent summer transfer window. At one stage, as reported by The Guardian, Manchester United made an approach to prise the midfielder away from Goodison Park.
However, no deal was forthcoming and Onana is still a key member of Sean Dyche’s Everton squad. The 22-year-old has played every minute in the Premier League for the Toffees so far this season, in what has been a tough start to the campaign for the Merseyside outfit.
In a squad short on quality, Onana represents one of Everton’s most prized assets. They paid £33 million to sign him from Lille in 2022, and the Belgian quickly established himself in the starting XI at Goodison Park last season. When the time does come for the Toffees to cash in on Onana, they will expect to make a healthy profit.
Everton miss chance to cash in on Onana
Philippe Albert is surprised that event hasn’t already come to pass. The retired centre-back and current pundit expected Onana to leave in the summer.
As quoted by Belgian publication Voetbal Nieuws, Albert said, “physically Amadaou is a monster and technically he also has quality. I am very surprised that no one paid his €85 million clause. When I see how easily Chelsea spend the money to buy anything and everything, I find it very strange that they don’t buy a player like Onana for less than 100 million euros.”
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Chelsea certainly did spend big this summer, in a transfer window when defensive midfielders were exchanged for premium prices. The Blues shelled out £115 million for Moises Caicedo from Brighton, and another £58 million to snap up Romeo Lavia from relegated Southampton.
Everton might have expected a similar fee for Onana, which would have gone a long way to resolving some of the club’s off-field financial issues. However, it would have left them significantly weaker on the pitch.
All in all, Dyche will be delighted to still have the 6-cap Belgium international at his disposal.