Everton’s well-documented financial issues have led to intense speculation that the club may be forced to sell some of their most prized assets in the summer.
Amadou Onana and Jarrad Branthwaite are consistently being linked with moves away from Goodison Park at the end of the season, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur said to be the two front-runners in an expected bidding war for Branthwaite.
However, according to a source close to Onana, the Belgian had the opportunity to leave the club in the January transfer window but decided to stay and continue the fight with Everton, at least until the end of the current campaign.
During an appearance on Noyau Dur’s YouTube channel, Mélissa Onana, who is the sister and agent of Amadou Onana, claimed that offers were on the table for the former Lille midfielder in the winter.
According to Sport Witness, Mélissa Onana is quoted as saying:
“We could have left this winter, but we once again sat down and asked the question whether it’s the right time, if the player is ready. My job is to put opportunities on the table.
“In the end, he’s the one who makes the choice because it’s his life and his career. I put the opportunities on the table and he said ‘No, I want to stay at Everton and I want to continue to fight’.”
When asked by fellow guest Lance Kawaya whether she agreed with her brother’s decision, Mélissa responded by saying:
“I’m lucky that my brother is intelligent, which isn’t the case for all players, so I give him the pros and the cons of a situation that’s on the table. We talk about it, he asks me my opinion, and I say ‘this is what I think’. Then, he makes his choice.
“Personally, I’m also not a fan of transfers during the winter. Often, it’s to put a stop to a bad situation. It’s clubs that are trying to turn a situation around after the transfers they did in the summer. They are clubs that are bleeding, trying to find a plaster.”
Amadou Onana recently returned to the squad after a brief injury lay-off and came off the bench in last week’s 2-0 defeat away to Manchester City.
The powerful midfielder is expected to be in contention to start the Blues’ next game against Crystal Palace on Monday 19th February as the Toffees look to end a run of seven games without victory in the Premier League.