Chelsea legend with 609 Premier League appearances hails £50m Aston Villa midfielder as a 'great talent'

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is a huge fan of a current member of the Aston Villa squad as the former Everton manager lavished praise on £50m summer signing Amadou Onana, calling him a ‘great talent’.

During his time as manager at Goodison Park, Lampard coached Onana. He said he was ‘very important’ to the Toffees’ set up, but has backed him to ‘grow at a team like Aston Villa’. He was also complimentary of the setup that Unai Emery has cultivated at Villa Park, calling him a ‘good coach’.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Lampard said: “He is a great talent. He has many qualities. Thanks to his physical abilities, he is very strong defensively and he also regularly scores a goal. He was very important to us at Everton, but I believe that he will continue to grow at a team like Aston Villa, with a good coach, good environment and a lot of competition.”

Onana joined Villa from Everton in the summer for a reported fee of £50 million. Previous to his time at Villa Park, he has also played for clubs such as Hoffenheim, Hamburg and LOSC Lille.

So far this season, Onana has made 13 appearances in all competitions for the Villans, scoring three goals along the way. A mainstay of their current team, he has been named in all but one of their Premier League starting XIs in the 2024/25 campaign. Additionally, he has also made the starting line up in all of their Champions League games thus far.

When Onana joined Villa back in the summer, he said [via Aston Villa official club website]: “It feels amazing. I’m glad to be here, finally, and I can’t wait to get started. It was a bit of everything. There’s a healthy atmosphere here to grow as a player and as a man.

“The team played very attractive football last season with loads of goals and will now be playing in the Champions League. I’ll be playing in the Champions League again and that’s very exciting. We also have a manager that’s one of the best in the business and I think he can take my game to the next level.

“It’s a great stadium with a great atmosphere and the fans are amazing. I’ve played several times against the lads and I know how good they are. I’m ready to bring something to the team as well. I want to bring this football club to the top. They had a tremendous season last season. We’ve got to continue that vibe and try to compete at the top.”

Meanwhile, Lampard made his start in football at West Ham United, but would rise to superstardom during his time with Chelsea, where he won three Premier Leagues and the Champions League. In total, he made 609 Premier League appearances with 177 goals and 102 assists. Later on in his career, he also turned out for Manchester City and New York City FC. Furthermore, he was also a cornerstone of the England national team during his playing days, winning 106 caps for the Three Lions and scoring 29 goals.