Arsenal’s £50m target Amadou Onana has sent transfer message to Arteta as agent drops hint

Arsenal are in the race for £50m Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, and Mikel Arteta knows all too well about him.

Arsenal are hunting the signature of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana this January as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his squad following a dire run of results in recent times. The Gunners have slipped five points behind Liverpool in the title race, and have not won in their last three Premier League games.

While their Premier League form has been a cause for concern, they have also been dumped out of the FA Cup, losing 2-0 to league leaders Liverpool at the Emirates after being wasteful in front of goal, with the likes of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson missing brilliant chances.

There have been plenty of calls for the Gunners to sign a lethal striker this January to put them firmly back into title contention, with Ivan Toney and Dusan Vlahovic among those linked, but a surprise name in Onana has been mooted instead.

And it should come as no surprise for two reasons – most notably due to Arteta being in desperate need of strength-in-depth in midfield with Thomas Partey’s injury problems continuing. But the Spaniard will have also taken note of Onana following his stand-out performance for Everton in their 1-0 win over Arsenal at Goodison Park last season.

Arsenal were riding a huge wave of confidence heading into that fixture, with the Gunners leading the pack by five points ahead of Man City after 20 games, while Everton were languishing in the relegation zone. It seemed a formality that the visitors would run away with the victory.

But Everton, and Onana had other ideas, with the Belgium international dominating the midfield battle which proved vital in Everton grabbing the win. The 22-year-old, who has been valued at £50m, nullified the impact of Martin Odegaard, Granit Xhaka, Partey and co in an all-action display

The young midfielder notched up eight ball recoveries, five ground duels, four tackles and two interceptions while going forward he provided two key passes and created one ‘big chance’ for Everton. It was a performance to make people pay attention to his abilities, and one that has clearly left a long-lasting impression on Arteta.

And in recent days, speculation has been ramped up about a £50m move to Arsenal, although the likes of Man Utd are also interested in his services as well. Furthermore, excitement was recently fuelled by the Everton star’s sister and agent Melissa uploading an Instagram story in which she appeared to be in London.

In the background of her post, London pub Argyle House can be seen, with many putting two and two together following Onana’s recent links to Arsenal. While it may not mean anything, it has certainly got people talking and will only add fire to the transfer rumours.

Snapping up Onana would be a good bit of business for the Gunners as they look for more power in the heart of midfield, and Arteta knows only too well what the Premier League star is capable of.