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Everton new boy Orel Mangala has revealed that he spoke with Amadou Onana before joining that club and added that the ex-Toffees star praised the club and their fanbase.
Onana was long considered to be one of Everton’s most saleable assets and the club cashed in on him during the summer, offloading him to Aston Villa for £50m.
Everton were keen to bring in a replacement for Onana in midfield and eventually managed to put a deal in place with Lyon to loan Orel Mangala.
Mangala revealed that he spoke with his Belgian national team-mate Onana before joining Everton and stated that the Aston Villa midfielder told him how good the club and their fanbase are.
He revealed that although he did not consult with former Everton star Romelu Lukaku, the forward was happy about him joining Everton.
“I spoke to Amadou a few days before coming here and he told me good things about Everton”, Mangala told the Liverpool Echo.
“I already knew that Everton is a big club, so I had a good feeling about it.
“He’s a good guy and before he signed for Everton, he also spoke to me.
“I know that he enjoyed his time here and he spoke about the fans, the club and how everything was good.
“I didn’t speak to Rom before coming because I knew he was busy with his own transfer to Napoli and settling in, so I didn’t want to disturb him.
“I’ve seen him since when we were away with the national team and he was very happy – we’re very close, he’s like a big brother for me.”
Mangala has featured eight times for Everton in the Premier League since his arrival and is increasingly a key man for Toffees boss Sean Dyche.
