Warm-ups were underway and the Sky Sports cameras fixated on Amadou Onana.
He was the only summer signing named in Aston Villa’s starting XI for Saturday’s opening game of the Premier League season against West Ham United, signed for what could eventually prove a club-record fee of £50million ($65m).
In some ways, his competitive debut was an admission that Villa’s first-choice line-up remains untroubled from the previous campaign, despite eight incomings. More so, it illuminated that the only real change was the player to replace Douglas Luiz, the chief orchestrator in manager Unai Emery’s most all-encompassing position.
Onana strode onto the pitch at the London Stadium, going through the various stretches and footwork patterns before players broke off into a possession drill in a rectangular area no wider than 15 metres (50ft). It was a four-versus-four, with the two midfielders — Onana and Youri Tielemans — in yellow bibs, and used as what coaches term “magic men”, playing for whichever team had the ball.
Onana received regularly, with all involved limited to two touches and tasked with playing on the half turn or simply bouncing the ball back.
The practice was short and sharp but mainly interception-based and not in keeping with the ferocity of a match. Regardless, Onana’s presence was striking; the tallest of the outfield players and the man in the middle, possessing a gravitational pull to the ball.
He mirrored what Emery wants from his two central midfielders, who are required to progress the ball from deep, counter-press, cover the width of the pitch and regulate the tempo. To do this, the overarching theme of any effective Emery midfielder — be it Boubacar Kamara, Steven Nzonzi, Ever Banega or Dani Parejo — is to have courage.
Onana’s story is well-documented, but explains the player and person he is today in taking on the challenges he has faced away from football, having left Dakar, in the west African country of Senegal, for Belgium aged 11.
In 2017, along with sister Melissa, who is now his agent, Onana made the eight-hour train journey from Belgium to Germany so he could play for Hoffenheim’s reserve team while she was undergoing chemotherapy. He only turned 23 on Friday, but has an inherent maturity fostered by his background and a need to grow up quickly.
Following Villa’s 2-1 victory at West Ham, Onana was the only player to stop to talk to the media in the mixed zone. The Belgium international leaned in, a handful of reporters’ phones under his chin as he towered above every person close by. He speaks five languages and is learning a sixth — Spanish. Help with that one comes from Emery and his coaching staff, who have been asked by Onana to address him in their mother tongue.
The new signing from Everton was one of seven Villa players aged 23 or under on the pitch at the end of the game on Saturday. Emery wanted greater depth this season, yet also lowering the squad’s average age signals his desire to stay at the club long-term.
Onana is viewed through a different lens to team-mates of a similar age. He was purchased for the here and now, with his psychological and physical profile fitting the bill.
It can be considered rare for a player of his size, 195cm — almost 6ft 5in, to operate in deep midfield areas. The 6ft 3in Paul Pogba has a comparable, basketballer-like gait as well as the same strength and balletic stride that should have, in theory, made him press-resistant, but he largely toiled for his six years at Manchester United. A deep-lying midfielder within Emery’s narrow system, which invites pressure centrally, has to be comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas.
“Yeah, definitely (being a central midfielder) is demanding,” said Onana. “He (Emery) is very demanding with his players. He just trusts his players and the abilities we have to play football. Everyone knows their task and he makes everything easier.
“You can see it out there. I’m a whole different player. The manager demands specific things from me. His football IQ and his football knowledge are just out of this place. He’s one of the best, and I can learn a lot playing under him.”
Awareness is critical, as is ball manipulation. Naturally, it tends to be easier for smaller players to retain close control and shimmy out of pressure, simply owing to them being closer to the ball on the ground and spending their formative years finding ways of not getting into physical tussles.
Consequently, taller players such as Pogba can need to take an extra touch or are utilised in advanced positions. Their athleticism is served more effectively in delivering the final pass in attacks, not generating them.
Onana offers a different form of press resistance to smaller deep-lying midfielders, using his back as a shield from opposition pressure.
Here, in Saturday’s match, Matty Cash plays a short pass in to Onana, who plants his left foot and feints to go one way before spinning away in the opposite direction.
Notably, he does not touch the ball during his turn, allowing the weight of Cash’s pass to bypass Guido Rodriguez.
Once afforded time, Onana switches play to Lucas Digne.
Onana is adept at manipulating the ball in tight areas, with pressure from varying angles.
In this example, he receives when facing pressure but jinks away with three deft touches.
Moving towards the touchline, he has the awareness to steady himself and invite contact from Jarrod Bowen to win a free kick.
West Ham pressed from a 4-3-3 shape, and were selective about when they did so high up the pitch. The most straightforward method was when goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had possession and they aimed to block his passes into Villa’s midfield.
Onana continued to play swiftly and decisively, always aware of his next pass as he received the ball. This made it difficult for West Ham to collectively press, often leaving them a yard short of intercepting or applying effective pressure.
In this example, Onana plays first time to Ezri Konsa, who then moves Villa upfield.
Although a taller player’s temptation is to take additional touches — either to control the ball or through knowing their strength to fend off opponents gives them more time — Onana knew when to limit his — or, in some cases, take none at all.
As West Ham lost their sharpness in the second half, Onana started receiving on the half-turn. Here, he takes a pass on the back foot, so his first touch goes forward.
As is a midfielder’s requirement under Emery, he then feeds one of his team’s two No 10s — Morgan Rogers.
When analysing alternatives to Douglas Luiz, players of an athletic profile were desired. Onana’s height gives Villa a greater edge in both boxes, taking advantage of their creative offensive set plays while helping a porous defensive setup.
Last season, Villa had the Premier League’s 11th tallest squad, with an average of 182cm (a shade under 5ft 10in). Not a small team as such, but crucially not offering the physicality needed to turn the fine margins in their favour.
Onana’s presence has demonstrated early promise. In the 2023-24 season, the Belgium international ranked in the top five per cent of midfielders for aerial duels won, suggesting he could be a growing threat in the opposition box (he scored three league goals across two years at Everton).
In the ninth minute on Saturday, Onana — stationed centrally in the six-yard box from corners, the area coaches usually want their best header of the ball to be — glanced a dangerous free kick to safety.
Tellingly, Villa’s first three throws in the final third were set up to be aimed towards Onana, who took up a position in the West Ham box.
The encouragement to throw long was influenced by Onana’s goal after four minutes. Tielemans’ floated corner was met by his countryman at the near post after he’d freed himself from marker Michail Antonio.
As Onana returned to the centre circle afterwards, he made a beeline for Villa’s set-piece coach, Austin MacPhee.
“For sure, I am (important to set pieces). I was joking around with Austin,” said Onana. “I was saying to him against (Athletic) Bilbao (in pre-season), I missed one and I said to him, ‘No, I’ll keep it for West Ham’. I think when you manifest it, it works, so I’m delighted with the goal today.”
Onana admits to a focus on endearing himself to Villa supporters. His celebrations in east London were testament to that.
Amadou Onana was fantastic today. And he loved that win.#AVFC pic.twitter.com/Y47ild01cF
— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) August 17, 2024
He wants to inherit the level of responsibility and leadership Emery looks for in midfielders.
It is early days, but Onana’s presence, figuratively and literally, is proving influential.
(Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
