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Tottenham Hotspur’s on loan midfielder Josh Onomah played a key role for Aston Villa as they defeated Fulham 2-1 at Villa Park today. He was involved in several Aston Villa attacks and earned numerous plaudits from observers and Villa journalists for his performance.
Excellent win for #avfc. Onomah outstanding today. The difference for me.
— Gregg Evans (@greggevans40) October 21, 2017
Afterwards, manager Steve Bruce admitted that he’d like to sign the 20-year old Spurs academy product on a permanent basis.
“Josh Onomah was terrific today. We’ll try and break the bank for him!
“But we know Spurs have got a very good player there.”
Onomah has become a fan favorite at Villa Park for his energy and attacking skill. However, it hasn’t been the smoothest of seasons for Joshy as Bruce has tinkered with his Villa side quite a bit the past two months. Today’s match was the first time Onomah started a match for Steve Bruce’s Villa side since early September, and he rewarded Bruce’s trust in him with a standout performance.
Onomah was allegedly allowed to leave Spurs and go out on loan because he saw his future at central midfield and not as an attacking midfielder. This was borne out by Joshy’s performances in the U20 World Cup this summer. The irony is that Bruce has played him almost exclusively in the hole behind Kienan Davis or Scott Hogan.
I don’t have a sense as to whether Spurs would consider selling Onomah this summer when his loan expires. There were murmurs that Mauricio Pochettino still thinks highly of him and we haven’t been given any indication that he might be sold. That said, we haven’t been given any indications that he might NOT be sold, either.
Either way, this is a good thing. Josh getting first team minutes will only improve him. If he improves enough, he’ll likely at least get a shot to impress Poch next summer and earn a place in Tottenham’s midfield. A good loan won’t hurt him one bit, and right now it looks like he’s got a pretty good one going.
Villa are currently fifth place in the table, seven behind leaders Wolverhampton, and are hoping to do enough to earn a return to the Premier League this season.