Paul Scholes delivers brutal Amadou Onana verdict as Jamie Carragher agrees about £50m transfer
Aston Villa's summer transfer activity - particular the signing of Amadou Onana - has come under fire from pundits Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes
Amadou Onana's ability to replace Douglas Luiz at the heart of Aston Villa's midfield has been called into question following his £50m summer transfer from Everton.
The 22-year-old Belgian completed a switch between Premier League clubs as Villa moved away from other linked midfield targets last month. He has since made four pre-season appearances, most recently getting a 62-minute run-out in last night's win over Athletic Bilbao, so looks to be in contention to start in next week's season opener away to West Ham United.
Along with Enzo Barrenechea and Ross Barkley, he forms a trio of midfield signings this summer that were announced as Luiz completed a €50m switch to Juventus. The Brazilian was the long-standing maestro of the team, particularly since Unai Emery took over, and playing without him will take some adjustment, Paul Scholes believes.
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"He had to go for financial reasons and I think he'll be a big miss. I thought he was brilliant for them," he said during Stick To Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. "Now it's who comes in to replace him?"
Delving into pre-existing and new options, the former Manchester United midfielder explained: "You obviously have [Youri] Tielemans who again, a little bit inconsistent in the system but I think he's a really good player. He's not that No.6, footballing No.6, I think he is more one that likes to get forward."
Controversially, Scholes added: "I don't really see the Onana thing either. I didn't see it while he was at Everton, I didn't see it at Belgium either. When they said £50m for him I just thought: 'ooh, that sounds a little bit too much'.
"Look, (Unai) Emery being the manager that he is, he might get something out of him. It might be a club that suits him - I don't know. But, where I'm stood now, £50m for him just seems like a lot of money."
Alongside him on the panel was ex-Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher, who ultimately agreed with this assessment of Onana.
"I was never really impressed with him much at Everton," he added. "I thought he was alright when I saw him for Belgium, maybe its a different style of football as well, but it will be interesting to see if he can replace Douglas Luiz in there."
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