Amadou Onana has now fired a sly dig at Arsenal while rubbishing widely-held fan beliefs after joining Aston Villa in a club-record transfer from Everton this summer.
The 22-year-old swapped royal blue for claret-and-blue on July 22 to snag a chance to play Champions League football. Onana only spent two years with Everton but now faces the role of replacing Douglas Luiz at Aston Villa. The Brazilian signed for Juventus at the end of June.
Aston Villa also opted to sign Onana to replace Luiz after he played each minute for Belgium at Euro 2024. His displays at Goodison Park and in Germany even drew interest from Arsenal in a transfer with Mikel Arteta – like Unai Emery – eager to refresh his engine room this year.
Amadou Onana hints Aston Villa’s ambition is bigger than Arsenal’s
So strong was Arteta’s interest in a transfer, in fact, that Arsenal thought Onana would be an ideal replacement for Thomas Partey. Everton facing the prospect of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) also saw Arsenal eye a £30m move for Onana.
But Aston Villa, ultimately, won the race for Onana’s transfer after agreeing to pay Everton a club-record £50m. And the 17-cap Belgium international is thrilled to be a new Villans player as they are one of the top clubs in England, despite feeling rival fans do not share that belief.
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Onana has also fired a sly dig at his rival suitors like Arsenal after claiming that he feels Aston Villa’s ambition and project were the best match for him. Emery led to the Villans to qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 41 years last season.
“I think this is where I should be,” Onana told La Derniere Heure. “For me, Aston Villa is part of the top of English football. The ranking speaks for itself and is significant
“The general public may think that it is not the most glamorous club, but it was the best choice for the player I am today. The question does not arise because Aston Villa is a top club. I went where I felt the right ambition and the best project to make me grow.”
Aston Villa did the double over Arsenal in the 23/24 Premier League season
Aston Villa were the Premier League’s surprise package last term after sealing their first top-four finish since 1995/96. The Villans denied Tottenham Hotspur the final spot to qualify for the Champions League by two points with Chelsea in sixth and Manchester United in eighth.
Emery also saw Aston Villa pick up several big scalps by beating Arsenal home 1-0 and away 2-0, Manchester City 1-0 at home plus Chelsea 1-0 and also Tottenham 2-1 away. Now, they have top-tier UEFA football on the horizon, which convinced Onana to agree to his transfer.
But the ambition for Aston Villa next season will only be to cement their status as a top-four club. Had Onana moved to north London, instead, he would have found Arteta’s ambition is to lift the Premier League title and also help Arsenal challenge for glory in cup competitions.
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