In a recent report, The Athletic revealed that Liverpool are keeping tabs on LOSC Lille midfielder Amadou Onana this summer. It has been claimed that the Reds are monitoring the progress of the Belgian midfield ace in this off-season.
Onana’s Solid Run Of Form In French Football
Onana had a solid campaign in the Ligue 1 last season when he put in a lot of dominant displays at the heart of Lille’s midfield. The Dakar-born talent was involved in 41 matches for Lille last season, netting three goals and grabbing one assist in the process across all competitions.
The 20-year-old caught the eye by averaging 1.5 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 0.6 clearances, 0.5 shots and 0.5 key passes per game in the Ligue 1. He was even excellent when distributing possession from midfield, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 83.3% in the French top-flight (stats via whoscored).
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Should Liverpool Head Coach Jurgen Klopp Get Onana On Board This Summer?
Onana is a decent tackler of the ball and can make some important interceptions at the centre of the park. He usually offers adequate protection for his teammates at the back and has got the vision to cup open the opposition defence with a good pass going forward.
Onana is primarily a defensive midfielder but can even function as a centre-back or as a box-to-box midfielder if required. However, at 20, the Belgian midfield ace is still quite raw and would need time before he is ready to feature in Premier League football week in week out.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp would be the ideal man to oversee his development over the next few years. We can expect him to add more depth to the Merseyside club‘s midfield department. Plus, Onana could serve as a good successor to Jordan Henderson at Anfield in the long run.
The Reds need to strengthen their midfield if they are to compete with Manchester City in the Premier League title race next season. Therefore, Klopp should consider trying everything in his power to get the Belgian whizkid on board during this summer transfer window.
