Amadou Onana has explained how the factor of Frank Lampard being manager was key to him signing for Everton.
The Blues completed the signing of the midfielder in the summer, after agreeing a £33.5million deal with Lille. West Ham had been close to signing the 21-year-old, but Onana instead decided he wanted to move to Goodison Park.
Since moving to Merseyside, Onana has made 15 appearances for Everton and is yet to score his first goal. But after being eased into the fold by Lampard, the young midfielder gradually became a key player for the Blues.
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Onana is currently away with the Belgium national team for the World Cup in Qatar. While giving an interview ahead of his country’s opening match against Canada on Wednesday, the midfielder has explained how Lampard is influencing his game just as he hoped would be the case when he decided to sign for Everton.
“It’s very good (their relationship). But it’s mostly to do with the man he is,” Onana told Sport Magazine.
“Honestly, I love the coach and I could tell you a lot about him, but he’s the man who convinced me to continue my adventure here.
“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.”
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