After arriving at Goodison Park last summer, Amadou Onana has secured his position in the starting lineup, and he believes his performances have prevented him from facing discontent from Everton fans.
Although the Toffees supporters have been vocal in expressing their dissatisfaction towards board members and certain players this season, the midfielder feels that his efforts have earned him some leniency from the fans.
Everton’s poor form has led them to the 18th spot, resulting in Frank Lampard’s sacking in January and Sean Dyche’s appointment as his replacement in the same month. Onana recently expressed his disappointment over Lampard’s departure, acknowledging that this season has been a challenging one for the Merseyside club.
Although Arsenal and Chelsea were reportedly interested in the Belgian international in January, Onana and his agent declined to comment on these links. At the same time, the midfielder has set his sights on moving to a top club in the coming years, without specifying a preferred league or team.
In a separate interview, the 21-year-old explained why Everton supporters have spared him from their criticism:
He told Het Nieuwsblad: “I am spared because I perform well. I am very satisfied with that. My objective was to quickly adapt to the Premier League and become a permanent fixture. I succeeded”.
“Collectively it has to be better. Everton is a mythical club that has never failed. It has to stay that way. We are now in a relegation place, but at the bottom of the standings the differences are small.”
Onana added: “I fought to be where I am now. I didn’t receive anything as a gift. That now helps me to keep my feet on the ground. But I am ambitious: within five years I want to play for one of the biggest teams in the world. Nothing is impossible, I’ve learned that over the years. (pauses) I’ve known misery, people sometimes forget that. I will never do that.”