According to a recent report from Football.London, it was stated that West Ham United are still keen on signing Amadou Onana from Lille. It is understood that they need midfield reinforcements to increase competition in that area and have identified Onana as an ideal fit for them.
However, the Hammers have seen their bid of £32 million rejected from the French outfit as they fail to meet their demands since Lille want £50 million to part ways with Onana.
Onana’s Impressive Campaign For Lille Last Season
Onana has impressed in the midfield areas for Lille last season as he produced some influential displays coming off the bench to impact the game. He only managed to find the back of the net on one occasion over 40 appearances last season.
The Senegal-born talent did not fare well in the offence but held his ground on the defensive end after averaging 1.5 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 0.6 clearances and 0.5 key passes per game in Ligue 1. He was impressive with his ball distribution as he completed 83.3% of his attempted passes in the French top-flight (stats via whoscored).
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Should West Ham United Meet Lille’s Demands?
Onana has a solid presence in the midfield areas as he remains a solid tackler of the ball. Standing at 1.92 m, with his tall and strong frame, he can overpower his opponents in aerial battles and guard the ball effectively. He can create some meaningful chances as he can find his teammates who are on the run to set them up in front of the goal.
The 20-year-old has shown great potential and it would be a huge blow for West Ham if they stop their pursuit of this young talent. The East London club believe that he could bring more competition to the holding positions in the midfield as he fights for minutes alongside Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Flynn Downes. He could polish his game under David Moyes and get better over the coming years proving to be a defensive powerhouse.
Even though they want to get him onboard, splashing out £50 million would not be reasonable and instead, they could increase their bid from £32 million and see how the French outfit responds to negotiate for a better deal that strikes some balance financially.
