The Toffees have paid a huge fee to sign Belgian international Amadou Onana from Lille OSC. The central midfielder has joined the club on a long-term contract and will wear the number eight as a tribute to Kobe Bryant.
The 20-year-old spent a season with Ligue 1 outfit Lille OSC, which he joined last summer from Hamburger SV for a small fee. Onana made 32 appearances for the French side throughout the 2021/22 campaign, only 11 of which were starts.
Everton have paid 36 million euros for his signature with Lille also managing to stipulate a 20 percent sell-on clause on his future sale. The youngster, who has signed a five-year contract with the Toffees until the end of the 2026/27 season, becomes Lille’s fourth-highest sale ever, a million fewer than Sven Botman – who joined Newcastle United earlier this summer – and a million more than Eden Hazard.
Speaking to the club website, Onana claimed that switching clubs was an easy decision for him in the end and called manager Frank Lampard a key reason for him doing so.
“For me, it was an easy decision, because everyone here showed me that they really want me and they have a plan for me, so I really appreciated the talks I have had,”
“Obviously, the manager was one of the big reasons. As you know, he’s had a big career in England – a midfielder, too.”
The Belgian will wear the number eight for Everton as a tribute to Kobe Bryant. He revealed the late basketball player as his inspiration, claiming that he has worn his numbers (8 and 24) throughout his career.
“Yes, it’s a big number. It’s a heavy one.”
“The history behind it is that I am a big, big fan of Kobe Bryant. His work ethic and the way he was,”
Onana stated.
The player has become Everton’s fifth signing of the season after James Tarkowski, Ruben Vinagre, Dwight McNeil, and Conor Coady.
