Thelwell can find Everton's new Gueye as Toffees lead race to sign £50m "huge talent" - opinion

Everton have been heavily linked with signing Lille midfielder Amadou Onana in recent weeks and the Belgian could prove to be the next Idrissa Gueye at Goodison Park should he join Frank Lampard’s side this summer.

It was reported earlier this week that Everton had moved ahead of West Ham in the race to sign the 20-year-old, who could cost around £5om to sign this summer, as he still has four years left on his contract with Les Dogues.

The young midfielder enjoyed a strong campaign with Lille last season, making 41 appearances in all competitions after joining from Hamburg SV last summer.

His performances saw him called up to Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad, and his one cap is unlikely to be his last, especially if he earns a move to the Premier League this summer.

The 6 foot 6 midfielder, who football talent scout Jacek Kulig described as a “huge talent“, excels at the defensive side of the game and could add some real quality to Lampard’s side next season.

WhoScored suggests that he excels at tackling, through balls and, unsurprisingly, aerial duels – all of which suggest he could fit in well at the base of Everton’s midfield in the future.

Onana regularly uses his size to win the ball back from opponents, as is emphasised by his stats from FbRef, which suggest that he scored in the 94th percentile of midfielders for tackles last season.

Everton have arguably lacked a midfielder with that quality since Gueye left the club to join PSG in 2019, after a successful spell with the Toffees.

The former Aston Villa man made 107 appearances during his time on Merseyside, contributing four goals and five assists, and it was a big blow when he departed for Les Parisiens.

Having also established himself at Lille, the comparisons