https://sportmagazine.levif.be/foot-national/diables-rouges/amadou-onana-ce-nest-pas-mon-probleme-si-les-gens-en-belgique-ne-croient-plus-en-nous-moi-je-crois-en-notre-equipe/Everton midfielder Amadou Onana has revealed Frank Lampard was key to him signing for the club this summer, and not because of his career as a player.
Onana joined the Blues in a big money move from Lille in the summer, with Everton moving quickly to secure his signature when it appeared he would be on the way to West Ham.
He quickly established himself as a key player and has been in the first team throughout the beginning of this season, already managing more starts in the Premier League than he managed for Lille in Ligue 1 in the entirety of last season.
That’s been due to the faith shown in him by Everton boss Lampard, who was quickly impressed with the Belgian following his arrival.
He’s spoken of him in glowing terms on a regular basis since, insisting it is his belief that the midfielder has it all and could develop into a top player in the coming years.
Much of that will depend on how Lampard develops his game, with youngsters at Derby and Chelsea developing well under him during his time in charge of those clubs.
Onana will be hoping for similar improvement during their time together at Goodison Park, and insists it was Lampard’s ideas, and not his name, which brought him to Merseyside in the first place.
“I would never have come to Everton because the former star Frank Lampard was coaching there. He was an exceptional player, but I don’t sign for a club because of the name of its coach.
“For his good ideas, though. That’s where he seduced me. When I spoke to him, I realised that he was a fascinating man. I liked the feeling we had. I liked the way he talked to me, the way he talked about football.
“He is a coach who wants to play the ball a lot, like many, but he really gives himself the means to do so. That is to say, he allows mistakes to be made. He almost pushes us to make them. He wants us to break lines and he gives us enough freedom to do so.
“He’s a coach who’s mainly interested in what you do with the ball. And in this case, he thinks I’m not doing enough. He wants me to be much more decisive, given my qualities.
“So, we analyse in detail what I could do better in this or that situation. Technically, he considers that I still have to go one step further. He’s not wrong, I know that. Sometimes I think about it in the car on the way back from training.
“And I think I’ve just spent an hour talking football with Frank Lampard. It’s important to realise that too. Especially when you know where I come from.”
