Chelsea could reignite their interest in Everton midfielder Amadou Onana if the Merseyside club are relegated from the Premier League, journalist Simon Phillips has told GIVEMESPORT.
The 21-year-old has been a standout performer for Everton despite their disappointing season.
Chelsea transfer news – Amadou Onana
Onana signed for Everton from French club Lille at the beginning of the season for a fee of £33m, as per BBC.
The Belgian midfielder has shown signs of inconsistency throughout this term, but he’s been thrown in at the deep end at Everton and had a lot of pressure placed on his shoulders.
The 21-year-old only started 11 league games for Lille last campaign, but has already started 23 games in the Premier League for Everton this campaign.
Everton boss Sean Dyche has challenged Onana to add more to his game and isn’t going to let the Belgian international get carried away. He said: “But when I was growing up, midfielders were all-rounders, they could do a bit of everything. I’m already speaking to him and showing him clips of games, saying ‘this is what you can add into your game.’”
According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea made a move for Onana during the January transfer window, but the Everton midfielder opted to stay at Goodison Park.
What has Phillips said about Onana?
Despite their interest in Onana earlier in the season, journalist Phillips doesn’t expect the 21-year-old to be high on Chelsea’s list ahead of the summer transfer window.
However, if Everton are relegated from the Premier League, Phillips has suggested that Chelsea could make a move for the midfielder if a bargain deal can be struck.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “I’ve not heard of any follow-ups to Chelsea’s interest in Onana at the moment, but as you say, he was looked at as an option in January.
“This is something that could develop more, especially if Everton end up getting relegated and Chelsea sense a bargain deal to be done.
“It felt to me in January that he was more of a player they turned to as maybe a plan D. I don’t expect him to be high up on the list but he’s certainly a player that Chelsea have considered.”
How has Onana performed this season?
Defensively, Onana has been pivotal to helping Everton start to climb out of the relegation zone.
The towering midfielder has managed 57 tackles in the Premier League this season, more than any other Everton player, as per FBref.
Dyche will undoubtedly be desperate for Onana to improve in an attacking sense. With just one goal and one assist to his name this season, contributing more in the final third could be what Dyche was hinting at when suggesting he needs to add more to his game.
