David Moyes must sign Everton ace Amadou Onana to save West Ham United future
David Moyes has been under pressure at West Ham this season, with his defensive style of play being heavily criticised, especially since the turn of the year.
The Hammers suffered an extremely difficult start to 2024. An eight-match run without a victory included being knocked out of the FA Cup by Bristol City, drawing against Sheffield United, and a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Arsenal.
Moyes has shown little signs of stepping down before the end of the current campaign but has been tipped to walk away from the London Stadium at the end of the campaign due to a disconnect with some supporters.
David Moyes in desperate need of midfield reinforcements at West Ham United
West Ham’s midfield is one of the areas on the pitch that is lacking the most depth, with Edson Alvarez being deployed alongside either Tomas Soucek or James Ward-Prowse this season.
Of course, the loan signing of Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City was supposed to help fix this specific problem. However, the 28-year-old has been a major disappointment.
In Phillips’ last start, Moyes had seen enough by halftime against Burnley, hooking the midfielder after maintaining a 40 per cent accuracy in long balls, winning 0 per cent of his tackles and 0 per cent of his aerial duels. [FotMob]
Though Soucek is a fan-favourite at the club, now often chosen over the Man City loanee, his talents are subdued by being deployed as a defensive midfielder, suggesting that a brand-new midfield maestro could pay dividends for Moyes and the Hammers.
Hammers must do everything to capture Everton ace Amadou Onana this summer
Everton’s Amadou Onana is one of the most promising young talents in the Premier League, currently plying his trade in Sean Dyche’s midfield at Goodison Park.
The Toffees star was linked with a move to the London Stadium ahead of the January transfer window, with it reported that the Hammers were “ready to move” for Onana if the club were forced to sell. [90min]
With an average passing accuracy of 84.9 per cent, the 22-year-old Belgian is the second-best passer at Everton, as well as making the most accurate passes per 90 minutes at the club. [FotMob]
Onana is not a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the park, ranking among the top 87 percentile of midfielders in the top five European leagues for tackles. [FBref]
This argument is made even stronger when looking at his ability in the air, boasting a top 94 percentile ranking for aerial battles won.
Though his defensive statistics are nowhere near Alvarez’s, with the Mexican boasting a top 86 percentile ranking for tackles, a top 98 percentile ranking for blocks, and a top 99 percentile for clearances. [FBref]
However, Onana is much more suited to a box-to-box role, like Phillips is supposed to be, and ranks in the top 67 percentile for shots, compared to Alvarez’s 21 percentile ranking.
Considering West Ham’s desperate need for a new addition, Everton’s Onana could be the missing part of Moyes’ puzzle, lending more control and more attacking threat from midfield.
In other West Ham news, a new £25million transfer deal is on the cards.
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