Player watch: Josh Onomah

[worcestersauce]

Can't believe anyone honestly can compare Onomah to the beast that is Dembele. Every time Onomah have played at senior level he has looked way out of his dept and looked very weak physically and just brushed off by everyone. Polar opposite of Dembele.

I would LOVE it if he was the next one to come through as those are the most special players, but unlike Winks, Kane, Bentaleb and many others he have looked out of his depth at every opportunity given. He obviously very young still and have every chance to succeed

You seem to have got the impression that comparing him to Mousa is the same as saying he is as good as Mousa, we are not saying that.
Did you watch him in the final yesterday? The resemblance was obvious.

 

[dontcallme]

You seem to have got the impression that comparing him to Mousa is the same as saying he is as good as Mousa, we are not saying that.
Did you watch him in the final yesterday? The resemblance was obvious.

Amazing how many adults struggle with the concept of comparing playing styles is not the same as comparing quality levels.

 

[panoma]

Onomah is only 20 and has not played in his preferred central midfield position for the first team. I am not sure how you can write him off. All I and many others have said are that he has the potential to be Mousa's replacement.

Did you see Mousa play at the age of 20 for AZ Alkamaar to make a like for like comparison?

At no point do i wrtie him off. I would never do that. I simply stated that raving about him as the new Dembele is way to early, but that hopefully he could turn into a good premer footballer given time.

 

[kmk]

Agree and have been arguing the same points, He has played out of position in the first team we have never seen him play in his natural position.

Just to add MD played upfront with LVG at Alkamer, Mark Hughes moved him to Midfield when he came to Fulham.

Agreed although Martin Jol recently said that it was he who converted Mousa into a midfielder at Fulham.

 

[JonnySpurs]

I was incredibly impressed by Onomah's patience and willigness to receive the ball even when under pressure. He was using his strength to hold off players and then rolling out of that press and tearing up field. If that doesn't sound like Dembele then I don't know what does.

As some have mentioned though, we need to stay calm here. Being strong against other 18-20 year olds is one thing but he will need to get in the gym and build that strength to compete in a similar way in the Prem. He may also need to be a little bit more "urgent" when playing for us. Winks seems to understand that he needs to think quickly, receive and play and is able to do that whilst being effective. Onomah got a caught a few times on the ball yesterday. He got away with it a few times and not at other times and luckily England weren't punished.

As I say, there's a huge amount to be excited and positive about, especially considering the unnecessary amount of criticsm and frankly nasty comments that were aimed at him last season. He has all the attributes to be Dembele's natural successor and even better he can learn from the man himself, which I hope he is already doing - I think he may be on this evidence.

Looking forward to seeing him in CM in pre-season, perfect chance to experiment after all.

It's also worth considering that a lot of us were clamouring for Levy to go and sign Tielemans when in reality we have no reason to do that with players like Winks and now Onomah coming through.

Special mention as well for KWP who made playing out of position at LB look very easy. Looks a smashing player as well. The future is blindingly bright for us, no doubt about it.

 

[yido_number1]

It will be interesting to see how Onoma continues to develop physically. Considering his age he could grow into a monster!

 

[E17yid]

It will be interesting to see how Onoma continues to develop physically. Considering his age he could grow into a monster!

He's already a monster considering he's only just turned 20

He'll get bigger and stronger just as any young lad would.

 

[gilzeantheking]

Jake.‏@YedIin

Compiled all of Josh Onomah's U20 World Cup performances and put them into one video. Been extremely impressed with him all tournament.

https://twitter.com/YedIin/status/873962696122613760

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

As some have mentioned though, we need to stay calm here. Being strong against other 18-20 year olds is one thing but he will need to get in the gym and build that strength to compete in a similar way in the Prem. He may also need to be a little bit more "urgent" when playing for us. Winks seems to understand that he needs to think quickly, receive and play and is able to do that whilst being effective. Onomah got a caught a few times on the ball yesterday. He got away with it a few times and not at other times and luckily England weren't punished.

Compared to last summer's tournament performances, he was positively nippy this year. Last year he looked lethargic, almost lazy, but he has added some urgency already. He's still no perpetual motion machine, but the change has been notable, and there's no reason why it can't continue. Added to that he has a great pass in his right foot, flat and fast, and obviously a powerful shot (which I haven't seen before).

 

[Shadydan]

At no point do i wrtie him off. I would never do that. I simply stated that raving about him as the new Dembele is way to early, but that hopefully he could turn into a good premer footballer given time.

No one is saying that either.

 

[Gilzeanking]

Looks great in those clips , thanks for creating/sharing whoever it was .

He is fairly one footed , tho will trust his left occasionally . Hopefully he can develop confidence in his left foot .

In the Prem they obsessively do their homework and may learn to read him better than U20 national team opponents .Great prospect tho .

 

[beats1]

Looks great in those clips , thanks for creating/sharing whoever it was .

He is fairly one footed , tho will trust his left occasionally . Hopefully he can develop confidence in his left foot .

In the Prem they obsessively do their homework and may learn to read him better than U20 national team opponents .Great prospect tho .

He was man marked by Mexico iirc and were happy for Cook to be on the ball

Onomah seems to rely very much on his strength and loves to take a lot of touches. These U20 players bounce off him, but will PL players do the same?

He really doesnt rely on his strength, he plays the same way against the Chelsea U21's who would put Stoke to shame in terms of strength and physicality

 

[not_tenth-again]

Compared to last summer's tournament performances, he was positively nippy this year. Last year he looked lethargic, almost lazy, but he has added some urgency already. He's still no perpetual motion machine, but the change has been notable, and there's no reason why it can't continue. Added to that he has a great pass in his right foot, flat and fast, and obviously a powerful shot (which I haven't seen before).

I reckon there is still work to do there too - which is great for him and his future as it's not a new skill, it's just a skill that can be improved on.

As good as his final was, ideally you want the opponent to be wondering where you are at all times and therefore having to make constant adjustments to cover you which should open up angles for you and your team mates. If he can build that consistency of movement and keep opening up the angles he truly could be anything.

It's a big call but Dembele's ability and presence on the field should be Onomah's floor, not his ceiling

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

Fortunately for Onomah, positional play is one of Poch's great strengths as a coach. Look at what he's done to the likes of Walker, Rose and Dembele purely by teaching them how to better understand their role in the side. Our positional play defensively, closing off passing lanes, is clearly very, very impressive.

Onomah could be the absolute bollocks if he takes in what Poch tells him and is willing to learn. He's got it all.

 

[EJWTartanSpur]

I expressed my positive thoughts in the England thread during the game.
When a player gets this close to our first team at any age under 21, and is even just receiving bit part appearances, I can't for the life of me see why anybody would be writing him off. There's a difference between saying things like ' he was poor when he came on' etc and 'I can't see what he offers, he wont make it with us'. Unfortunately, there was quite a lot of the second type of comment that has appeared on here in the past two years. If a player makes it that close to the first team at this age, it is abundantly clear that he has the necessary skills and the talent to POTENTIALLY make into the team and be a great player, irregardless of how some sub appearances and starts go. It is clear that there is a fantastic player in there, its just whether he can harness it and pull it together and we have the correct manager to trust when it comes to young players.

As I said, I spoke about his positives in other threads. Next step for me is gaining some extra strength ( it was clear as day when Kane had taken a growth/strength spurt a few years back, he had already had appearances going back 1-2 years before, but he disappeared for a while then when he reappeared he just looked completely different on the pitch, likewise Winks who you could see in pre season last year had worked on his upper body and had added some much needed bite and strength ) so he can put the assets that he already does possess, to much better use.

Also, he does have extremely good timing in his ability to prod the ball away from attackers cleanly. Strange comparison, but kind of reminds me of Sandro and his ability to do that. Very different players and positions of course, but if Onomah can add some strength, continue to use that ability and most importantly - as I think its a weakness right now - learn when to keep his brain engaged and track back more effectively and consistently then I cant wait to see what kind of player we could have on our hands. He has an athletic grace in the middle, that if harnessed and developed properly, could turn him into a beast.

Lastly, the thing I like most about that slaloming run he went on in the final yesterday was the final 2 yard pass he did with his right foot which I thought showed a quick brain and the technique he does possess as players were closing around him and he was able to improvise in an awkward position and show a deftness of touch.

 

[Blake Griffin]

 

[mattie g]

If Poch can figure out a way to get him on the pitch in the #6-type role in certain games (League Cup and the like) then we can really start to get a feel for what Josh can accomplish in a Spurs shirt. If his appearances at the U20 WC are anything to go by, then I'm excited for him to show what he can do in the Lillywhite.

 

[samsonlevi]

A couple of years ago I was desperate for us to sign Rabiot based on some international games and some PSG games. However, these clips and his performance in this tournament have given me hope that he is potentially better. My opinion obviously

 

[samsonlevi]

A couple of years ago I was desperate for us to sign Rabiot based on some international games and some PSG games. However, these clips and his performance in this tournament have given me hope that he is potentially better. My opinion obviously

Oh, and he's one of our own

 

[mattie g]

A couple of years ago I was desperate for us to sign Rabiot based on some international games and some PSG games. However, these clips and his performance in this tournament have given me hope that he is potentially better. My opinion obviously

I watched him an KWP in a few of England's games, and they were both among the best on the pitch each time. Really impressed (with obvious U20 caveats).