In a recent report, The Sun claimed that West Ham United have set their sights on LOSC Lille midfielder Amadou Onana. It is believed that the Hammers are keen on bringing the Belgian youngster to the London Stadium during the summer transfer window.
Onana’s Recent Rise At The Stade Pierre Mauroy
Onana has been a sporadic presence in Lille’s first-team this season but has managed to impress at times with his performances in French football. The 20-year-old has made 30 appearances for his current employers during this campaign, netting two goals and providing one assist across all fronts.
The Dakar-born talent has seen most of his game time come off the bench over the past few months. However, Onana still deserves credit for averaging 1.2 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 0.5 clearances per game in Ligue 1. He has even been excellent when distributing possession from midfield after completing 83.2% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
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Is Onana A Good Choice For West Ham United?
Onana is a moderately-paced midfielder who can get stuck in with some solid tackles to make life difficult for the opposition at the centre of the park. He can make some important recovering runs at the back and usually clears the danger when required.
The Belgium Under-21 international can use his strength to win a few aerial duels in midfield and is a tidy passer of the ball as well. However, there are some concerns over whether he would be able to make a smooth transition to life in Premier League football.
An up-and-coming midfielder of Onana’s potential will be a great choice for the Hammers as he is good enough to fight for a regular starting spot at the London Stadium. Furthermore, the Lille sensation could serve as an ideal, long-term replacement for Mark Noble at the East London club.
We can expect Onana to add a lot of bite and steel to David Moyes‘ midfield. He will no doubt enhance the overall depth of West Ham’s match-day squad. At 20, the future is quite bright for the Belgian whizkid as long as he can continue to improve himself with each season.
