Amadou Onana has put pen to paper on a five-year contract after Villa and Everton agreed a fee for the 22-year-old. Onana spent two years in a struggling Toffees team following his £35m arrival from Lille two years ago.
After featuring for his country at Euro 2024, Villa boss Unai Emery believes he will strengthen his squad as they prepare to play in the Champions League for the first time. Onana has already left his mark on one of his new team-mates, the fiery Martinez after the pair clashed at Goodison last season.
After Villa made a mess of trying to play out from the back, Onana
slid in on Martinez, catching him in the chest with a sliding tackle in what looked to be a genuine attempt to get the ball. Onana, who wasn’t booked for the challenge, then tried to pull Martinez up by the arm, which didn’t go down well with the Villa stopper.
Six months on, the pair are now team-mates as Villa look to build on a season which saw them finish an excellent fourth. Playing in Europe’s top club competition was a major draw for the midfielder.
“The team played very attractive football last season with loads of goals and will now be playing in the Champions League,” he said. “I’ll be playing in the Champions League again and that’s very exciting. We also have a manager that’s one of the best in the business and I think he can take my game to the next level.”
Douglas Luiz left for Juventus last month, freeing up money and space for Onana while keeping Villa within Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules. Villa have already signed Ross Barkley from Luton, Juventus pair Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea, Sheffield United’s Cameron Archer, Ian Maatsen from Chelsea, former winger Jaden Philogene from Hull, and Everton’s Lewis Dobbin.
Everton will also be grateful for the influx of cash for a player who endured a difficult final couple of months of the season and started only two of the last six games – the final two fixtures of the campaign when top-flight status had already been secured.
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