Amadou Onana is a formidable defensive midfielder and one of the top ball-winners in the Premier League, and Arsenal are eager to buy him this summer.

If the Gunners are successful in acquiring the Belgium international from Everton, they will have one of Europe’s most stable midfields, capable of competing against any team.

Onana commands a significant physical presence in the center of the pitch. Standing at 6’5″, he exudes a dominance that cannot be coached. He is a standout midfielder for Everton.

Onana is an aggressive ball-winning defensive midfielder who enjoys battling and reads the game really well. His front-footed approach allows him to intercept passes or retrieve lost balls, then maintain possession and move forward.

Onana’s long, muscular physique allows him to sweep and recover the ball from attackers. This contributes to Onana’s high-quality tackling.

He’s the type of midfielder that teams dread facing because he can overpower you shoulder to shoulder, is faster than most midfielders, and has the power and technique to stride away after stealing the ball from you.

Someone who is both dominating in duels and secure on the ball would be a deadly asset to any elite squad.

It’s no surprise that Arsenal has made him a key priority for the summer.He will not come cheap, however, with Everton putting an £80 million price tag on his head.

Onana is a big presence on the pitch

Given his height, it’s not surprising that Onana has such an aerial presence. He is a colossus in midfield. On set-pieces, he excels aerially because to his height, power, and athleticism, as well as his massive leap.

This would be extremely beneficial to Arsenal because set-pieces are certainly something they place a high value on, as set-piece coach Nicolas Jover demonstrates.

Arsenal has the second-highest number of Premier League corners (188), trailing only Manchester City (192). Quite a lot more than Everton’s 117 (14th).

Arsenal has scored the most goals from set pieces this season (including penalties), with 24. 16 of these goals were from corners or free kicks, while eight came from penalties.

In reality, since Nicolas Jover’s arrival in the summer of 2021, they have scored the most set-piece goals, excluding penalties (48).

Adding a presence like Onana to these corner and free-kick routines (along with a fresh target man striker like Toney or Osimhen, who have been connected), would give them another advantage over their opponents.

Onana could revolutionise the Gunners’ midfield

The possibility of pairing Amadou Onana with Declan Rice is reminiscent of Arsene Wenger’s Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva double pivot. A combination of physical dominance and technical excellence.

Onana’s ability to carry the ball is one of his greatest skills. He’s a transitional monster. When he picks up the ball deep, he can eat up yardage rapidly because to his long, muscular strides and ball control.

His ability to do so while also being a presence when charging into the box explains why he might play further forward as an eight.

However, he is now most suited to playing as a double pivot. If Arsenal signed him, he could play here, and he and Rice could alternate between carrying the ball and sitting deep. A solid balance and covering to prevent it from becoming too hazardous and committing too many bodies forward.

Furthermore, Onana could develop into a single pivot. Being in a JDP (Juego de Posicion) system would be extremely beneficial because of the organized rotations and positional discipline required to play there, giving him greater exposure to the single pivot role.

Juego de Posicion is a phrase that translates as ‘Positional Play’ and refers to the notion of using positional discipline to create a free man in order to advance play and penetrate the opponent’s defensive lines.

Coaches such as Arteta, Guardiola, and De Zerbi use versions of this concept. One important feature of JDP football is having players with natural ‘gravity’ lure players to them by carrying the ball.

This produces adverse 1v2 circumstances, implying that there is now a spare man to pass to. As a result, quality ball-carriers are essential in these schemes, and Amadou Onana is precisely that.

One of the cornerstones of JDP is the deliberate switching of positions to confuse the opponent and beat the press. This type of strategy would be great for Onana to learn how to play as a single pivot at periods in the game, but it would also allow Rice to progress further.

Arsenal has frequently deployed a diamond midfield 4 in possession. One example came in the first game of the season against Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Partey (RB), Saliba (RCB), Gabriel (LCB), and Timber (LB). Rice (DM), Odegaard (RCM), and Havertz (LCM) form a midfield trio.

However, when in control, Partey would invert and become the defensive midfielder, Rice would push up into an LCM position, and Havertz would move central to play as a second striker (SS) to form a diamond formation.

This shape allowed Havertz to become more of a ‘pockets’ player, floating around behind the striker and connecting with the wingers to play off of them. It also enables for combinations between the striker and Havertz.

Havertz can then push up to be the situational striker’s target man, while Gabriel Jesus can drop up top to capitalize on Havertz’s knockdowns.

Arsenal may be interested in signing Onana to play the role of Partey. Partey is frequently absent from Arsenal’s major games due to injury.

They need to cover for him. Arsenal’s strongest team has Partey and Rice in midfield, but they have only started together five times all season.

Partey has only played five games for Arsenal this season, out of a possible 36. Partey started three of these five games at RB with Rice as DM, and he started the Community Shield against Manchester City as DM with Rice as LCM. However, Arsenal’s rest of defence is a 4-4-2 formation.

The 4-4-2 versus Manchester City featured Rice and Partey as a double pivot block, with Odegaard leading the press as a striker with Kai Havertz.

I believe Amadou Onana is best suited to the position of Partey here. Onana would be in a double pivot, with Rice preventing any movement through center zones. Against the best teams, two elite ball-winners swept the board.

Onana’s passing and pace could be huge for Arsenal

Another part of Amadou Onana’s game that is often overlooked is his passing ability. There’s a lot of criticism about how he’s not the most technical player, but that’s more to do with the setup he’s in under Sean Dyche.

Dyche has Onana focused on carrying the ball rather than getting up the pitch quickly. However, a slower buildup under a JDP system would allow Onana to demonstrate his passing abilities and spray passes forward from deep.

Onana is inexperienced tactically in this type of setup, but he possesses the fundamentals to flourish in this capacity if he adapts. He would be an excellent signing.

The Premier League had the fastest speeds this season. Micky Van De Ven (37.38km/h) was unsurprising at the top. Players like Kyle Walker (37.31km/h), Chiedozie Ogbene (36.93km/h), Pedro Neto (36.86km/h), and Anthony Gordon (36.68km/h) were unsurprising to be in the top.

However, 6’5″ Amadou Onana surprised everyone this season with a high speed of 36.65km/h, beating players like Gabriel Martinelli (36.33km/h), Luis Diaz (36.42km/h), Moussa Diaby (35.93km/h), and Adama Traore (35.55km/h).

It’s ludicrous that a physically strong dueller is also one of the league’s fastest players. A true athletic freak. The thought of him next to Rice, ahead of Gabriel and Saliba, develops an almost unbreakable spine.

Arsenal will face stiff competition for the signing of Amadou Onana, with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Barcelona all reportedly interested in the Belgian midfielder. It will be interesting to see where he eventually ends up.

 

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