Former Newcastle United defender Philippe Albert is surprised that Chelsea didn’t fork out €85 million to sign Amadou Onana from Everton.
Amadou Onana was on the radar of multiple top clubs from across Europe. There was a lot of interest in his services, and he was expected to be on the move. However, no club managed to strike a deal with Everton for the 22-year-old and he will continue to feature for the Merseyside club in the English top flight.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal were some of the big English clubs that were linked with the Belgian international. But, none of them paid the €85 million needed to trigger his release and it has surprised Philippe Albert.
The former Belgian international Albert said via HITC, “Physically Amadaou is a monster and technically he also has quality. I am very surprised that no one paid his €85 million clause. When I see how easily Chelsea spend the money to buy anything and everything, I find it very strange that they don’t buy a player like Onana for less than €100 million.”
After an impressive season with LOSC Lille, Everton signed Onana last summer. He has since featured in a total of 40 matches for the first team and also has three goal contributions. He has been a rock in front of the defence and has put in some exceptional performances since moving to England.
The 22-year-old already has five appearances in the 2023/24 season and has been on the pitch for the entire 450 minutes. The Belgian international who has a contract until the summer of 2027 will be key to the Toffees’ chances this season. But, during the summer transfer window, he was expected to be on the move. There is a release clause worth €85 million in his contract that could have been triggered.
Chelsea were one of the clubs keen on having him in their ranks. The Blues have been quite active in the transfer market since their takeover. They have targeted young players with huge potential and Onana could have been a great acquisition.
Also Read: Chelsea Summer Transfer Window Verdict 2023
But, he was not their top target. Chelsea’s priority was to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton, and they have managed to land him at the club. The Blues were involved in long-drawn talks with the Seagulls for the 21-year-old. They eventually agreed to pay well over €100 million to land him at the club.
