Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana has admitted he’s already noticed the difference from Everton under ‘tactical freak’ Unai Emery.
The Belgian has been speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws about his move this summer, and how he’s already noticing how much a step up it is from his former club.
The 23-year-old headed into the summer looking to make the step up after two years at Goodison Park and finally got his wish when Aston Villa elected to pay €59.35m for him at the end of July.
The midfielder had not hidden his desire to move on, regularly hinting that he wanted a transfer over the last two years. That led to speculation about his future, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all linked at various points.
Instead, he’s now a key element in an Aston Villa team looking to repeat or better last season, which saw them finish fourth in the table on 68 points and qualify for the Champions League.
It’s early days for Onana yet, albeit he’s enjoyed a flying start to life at Villa Park, and he admits he’s noticed the step up from Everton straight away.
“This is just a different style of football,” he said.
“We have to be at the club at half past nine. The training starts at eleven o’clock. We train for a long time. Unai Emery is truly a tactical freak. As a result, the training sessions can sometimes take a long time, but I prefer this.
“Here we play more on ball possession. You usually stay on the ball much longer. Sean Dyche wanted to see more direct football. Long balls. Lots of second balls. With the national team we also play a bit more on ball possession and I get the ball more. Suits me a little bit better.
“It is the fourth in the Premier League. With a top coach. With top players. It is a top club. I think I am where I should be. I made good use of the European Championships to take this step. I performed well there.”
