Amadou Onana

Key strength: Adaptability

Versatile player

Aston Villa's grip on fourth place is loosening at the worst possible moment. With just one win from their last five matches (WLLLD), Unai Emery's side is stumbling in their Champions League chase. Yet through this turbulence, one man has remained immovable: Amadou Onana. The 24-year-old Belgian arrived from Everton last summer for €39.87 million, and that investment has already appreciated to €42 million. As a deep-lying playmaker, Onana has been the quiet architect of Villa's ambitions, making 25 appearances and clocking 1,663 minutes of relentless midfield service. His two goals add a subtle attacking threat to his primary role as Villa's defensive anchor. What sets Onana apart is his discipline. For a 1.95m defensive midfielder of his physicality, just two yellow cards in 25 matches is remarkable. His ball retention—his greatest weapon—allows creators like Jadon Sancho and Emiliano Buendía to flourish ahead of him. But Boubacar Kamara, rated 80, is pushing hard for that starting berth. As Villa navigate this defining phase, their towering Belgian midfielder may prove the difference between Champions League glory and Europa League consolation.