Despite their point deduction, Everton were able to avoid relegation with ease, finishing 15th in the Premier League and 14 points above the relegation zone.

A massive factor in this was Belgium international Amadou Onana, who made 30 Premier League appearances last campaign, scoring three goals and providing one assist.

His defensive prowess and athleticism allowed Sean Dyche and his side to keep eight clean sheets when Onana was in the team, which helped lead them towards safety.

Everton could sign Onana replacement

According to reports from Football Insider, Everton are preparing to make a move for Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City when he becomes a free agent later this month.

The 27-year-olds contract expires on the 30th of June, and he has rejected a new contract with the Foxes, which will leave the door open for Everton to make a move for the Nigeria international.

Ndidi could turn out to be an astute replacement for the highly rated Onana, who has many admirers in the Premier League looking for his signature.

How Ndidi compares to Onana

Once described as "the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League" by one ex-pro, the Nigerian spent last season in the Championship with Leicester, helping them towards the title and promotion back to the top flight.

Ndidi made 36 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes, scoring six goals, providing six assists and contributing to 14 clean sheets. But the position was slightly different for Ndidi under Leicester coach Enzo Maresca in his first season at the club.

Despite being a defensive midfielder (number six) for the majority of his career, Maresca deployed Harry Winks deeper in the midfield to orchestrate play for his side, meaning Ndidi actually took up more of a box to box number eight role.

Onana also has the ability and athleticism to play as a box-to-box midfielder, but both players have made a name for themselves with their defensive quality, and ability to cover ground.

Ndidi only produced 1.57 tackles per 90 last season for Leicester, however this was in the number eight role in the Championship. If you compare his numbers from his Premier League season in 2022/23 as a more defensive-minded midfielder, he completed 3.26 tackles per 90.

Compared to Onana, he completed 3.06 tackles per 90, playing a similar role for a similar-level club at the bottom half of the Premier League. The Belgian also won 2.24 aerials per 90, made 1.08 blocks per 90, and 0.9 interceptions per 90.

Again, comparing Ndidi's stats from the Championship season (2023/24) he underperformed Onana's metrics, winning 1.31 aerials per 90, making 0.85 blocks per 90, and 1.14 interceptions per 90 (so this stat actually beats Onana's respective number in this metric).

However, when comparing Ndidi's Premier League season (2022/23) numbers, he won 1.34 aerials per 90, made 1.71 blocks per 90, and 2.03 interceptions per 90. These metrics show Ndidi's capacity to make defensive actions for his side in that holding role, matching or bettering many of Onana's numbers.

Both players have a similar build, and whilst Onana is much younger and has the capacity to improve even more technically on top of his already special physical profile, the Foxes midfielder does offer great value and could be an astute move to replace him.

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ByJoe Nuttall