Amadou Onana has revealed a shared vision with Unai Emery was key to him joining the club from Everton this summer.
The midfielder has been speaking to La Dernière Heure, relayed by Het Nieuwsblad, about his move to Villa Park.
He joined Aston Villa in a €60m deal from Everton earlier this week, becoming the latest big signing at Villa Park as they build for a season in the Champions League under Emery’s guidance.
He’s been brought to the club as a direct replacement for Douglas Luiz, who had been a key player but moved to Juventus earlier this summer in a deal to aid the club’s tight PSR situation.
The Belgian will be hoping to kick on after two solid years at Goodison Park in which he had established himself as a potential star of the future.
He had become increasingly frustrated with the role he was playing under Sean Dyche, though, regularly hinting that his system and Everton’s situation was not getting the best out of him or allowing him to flourish.
Onana certainly feels that will be the case and admits his talks with the Aston Villa boss were what convinced him.
“They just had a fantastic season with that fourth place,” He said.
“This environment seemed the most conducive to my development and the fact that I can work with Unai Emery, one of the most skilled coaches around, also played a role. I can learn a lot from him.
“He can help me reach the next level. I have always attached great importance to the goal of constantly improving. This is the perfect step. We have calculated and analysed everything; I am where I am supposed to be.
“We talked and discussed things. What came out was that he wants to teach me certain things, that we have the same vision of the game and of the player I could become. He pointed out my qualities, but also my flaws that I still need to work on. I completely agreed with his analysis.”
