The entirety of the Aston Villa fan-base breathe a collective sigh of relief as the club finally confirms the signing of a defensive midfielder, arriving in the shape of: Boubacar Kamara.
Having recently been called up to the French national side, Kamara signs on a 5-year deal; keeping him at Villa Park until the summer of 2027.
OVERVIEW
The 22 year-old joins just hours after the dramatic final day of the 21/22 Premier League season, and livened up the spirits of many Villa fans off the back of the devastating collapse away to newly crowned champions Manchester City.
Kamara arrives from Ligue 1 runners-up Olympique de Marseille on a free transfer, after letting his previous contract with his former side expire in search of a new adventure elsewhere. The French international revealed his desires in a recent interview with TΓ©lΓ©foot (a French TV programme that broadcasts all the latest news and coverage from the top division), where he explained his wishes to “…evolve, discover a new challenge”.
The interview took place on the Sunday morning after the conclusion of the Ligue 1 campaign on the Saturday, and the 24-48 hours to follow would be a whirlwind for Kamara, as he and his family flew to Birmingham on the Monday to sign his contract and meet both Steven Gerrard and Johan Lange at Bodymoor Heath that afternoon.
Sitting down with VillaTV, Villa’s new man emphasized: βI am very pleased to be an Aston Villa player,β, and went on to explain the importance of Steven Gerrard on influencing his decision to the midlands club; he added: βThe coach was very important to me. He came to see me in Marseille in my home and we discussed a lot of things and spoke about the move.”
Boubacar Kamara is a player that both Steven Gerrard and the other members of Villa’s recruitment team have been fond over the years, and Gerrard, chief executive Christian Purslow and sporting director Johan Lange are known to have flown out to Marseille to survey and scout the Frenchman in a game against Nantes in April, where Kamara was recognised as the ‘man of the match’ with a superb display.
Aston Villa have been one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League in regards to transfer business in the early stages of the summer window, having also previously announced the permanent signing of Brazilian maestro – Phillipe Coutinho – at the inaugural end of season awards evening earlier this month.
The early intent shown from the club indicates the objectivity and ambition of the project, and Villa fans can be rightfully excited by the two already-confirmed acquisitions. There will certainly be more to come on the recruitment front, with a busy Summer at B6 expected.
With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the new man in claret and blue – Boubacar Kamara – and answer the question – what does he offer?
VERSATILITY
Kamara has seemingly been signed to play the ‘6’ role – an area of the team that has been widely debated and discussed over the years, and is ultimately a position that has needed to be looked at for some time.
From here, the 22 year-old will be expected to orchestrate play from the heart of the side, whilst also providing cover for the defense behind him, but the 22 year-old can also fill in at centre-back, and during his time in Marseille has been known to fill in at either full-back position occasionally too.
In a recent sit-down with VillaTV, head coach Steven Gerrard revealed that Boubacar Kamara can also be deployed in “a left eight or a right eight in our system”, furthering the point that the latest signing can be utilised all over the pitch.
Kamara’s versatility will certainly benefit the side, as it enhances his ability to provide cover when his side is out of possession. If any of the back four find themselves further up the pitch, leaving their position vulnerable and open, he can be relied upon to maintain the shape of the side and deal with the situation at hand.
Steven Gerrard believes his new signing “suits our style” and possesses “a lot of quality, in and out of possession“. Despite being signed to play a midfield role, the head coach believes “it is always nice as a manager to know that someone can take on tactical information, we’ve watched him at Marseille and he has played numerous roles with consistency”.
The more and more you read and hear about Aston Villa’s new man, the more you feel we have signed a player that puts all the worries to rest in regards to the defensive midfielder concern that has been ever-present at the club since promotion back to the Premier League. It is also great to hear we have signed a versatile individual who provides quality all across the midfield and back four.
EXPERIENCE
Despite being just 22 years of age, Boubacar brings with him a wealth of experience from three of Europe’s most prestigious competitions – UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League and UEFA Champions League – and of course France’s Ligue 1.
During his time at Marseille, the midfielder notched up a total of 170 appearances for the first-team across all competitions, averaging 38 appearances each season since 2018. Kamara has been a staple in OM’s side for many years, and has been widely recognized as one of the top emerging young talents in world football, being linked with some of Europe’s top clubs, including Manchester United and Atletico Madrid, ahead of his contract expiration this summer.
Morgan Sanson is a name that will be very familiar to the new man in claret and blue, having both spent time together in the south of France. Sanson, who will be looking to make an impact during pre-season himself, can support Kamara and make him feel welcome at the club, ensuring his former teammate settles in to his new surroundings painlessly. Could the duo reinvigorate a partnership in the Aston Villa midfield next season?
Steven Gerrard picked up on the player’s ‘maturity levels’ during the end of season interview with VillaTV, and believes this is a key characteristic that can help the player settle into the Aston Villa side, and deal with the challenges that presents itself when competing in the Premier League. He also explained the former Marseille’s No.4 record of “playing a lot of football, at the highest level”, and highlighted his fantastic achievement in being called up to France’s national side, where he will of course be joining Aston Villa’s own Lucas Digne.
Kamara has faced English opposition before, during the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League campaign, where Marseille were drawn in Manchester City’s group (Group C). Unfortunately, the French side finished bottom of the four-team table and were beaten relatively comfortably by the English side on each occasion, but Kamara would have gained valuable knowledge and a whole host of experience on what it is like to play against one of England’s top sides off the back of these two fixtures.
Kamara and Marseille recently reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, after exiting the UEFA Europa League with a third-place finish in their group. The Ligue 1 runners-up experienced a successful run in the tournament, before losing to eventual runners-up and Dutch side Feyenoord by an aggregate score of 3-2 across the home and away ties.
Steven Gerrard will hope his latest signing can steer his new side in the right direction towards European football, where the young French international can excel even further, and ultimately play a big part in the exciting and substantial project that he now finds himself on board with.
PHYSICALITY
Standing at 6-foot tall and weighing in at 68kg, we have Boubacar Kamara in the claret and blue corner.
A key component of a modern-day defensive midfielder is that of physicality, and Boubacar Kamara’s presence can certainly be felt on a football pitch. A standout adjective used by Steven Gerrard during Wednesday’s interview with VillaTV was “robust”, which is defined as: strong and healthy; vigorous. Similar words include powerful and tough – both terms typical of a good number ‘6’.
Ligue 1 is often likened to the Premier League in terms of the pace of the game and the physical abilities needed to compete and be successful. Having spent four seasons actively playing in a top French side, Boubacar Kamara has just what it takes to transfer these qualities and participate successfully in the world’s most merciless league.
Of course, Kamara is not at the peak of his career at 22 years-old and thus has the opportunity to develop and progress at his new club. If Bouba was to see out the full extent of his contract with the Villans, he would be entering his prime footballing years, and at 27 years-old, he is expected to be at his optimal physical state. During his interview at Bodymoor Heath, Kamara commented on the superb facilities that the club provides, highlighting the “big gym” that he feels will promote the work put in at training ahead of matches.
In his role, physical endurance is vital, and during the latest Ligue 1 season, Kamara played 90 minutes 35 times out of the 48 games that he appeared in. Stamina and fitness is certainly not an issue for the 22 year-old and the ability to last 90 minutes at a high standard will certainly benefit the Aston Villa side. The telling line from the signing-on interview reads: “I am a solider of the team”, suggesting Kamara is an ‘all-in’ type of player – something Steven Gerrard has spoken about profusely, whereby he wants a squad of players that have passion and drive, and ultimately give all to the cause.
Kamara is a powerful and willing runner, and could often be seen carrying the ball through holes in the midfield himself, before offloading possession to a more advanced and creative teammate. When defending, Kamara uses his body well and will dispossess and bully opposition players using his physical frame in order to regain hold of the ball for his side. Another strength of the 22 year-old is his aerial duel success rate, and the 6ft man won 1.2 on average per game for Marseille last year.
Despite his size and stature, the Frenchman is noticeably quick, and can retreat to deal with immediate danger and opposition counter-attacks at a substantial rate. This particular characteristic will be key in the new league, as the speed and dynamism that the game is played at is like no other, and pace and power are certainly some of the fundamentals when constructing a high quality Premier League player.
TECHNICALITY
To finish, Boubacar Kamara, despite being typically commended for his bullish and powerful attributes, also possesses a number of high-quality technical features that make him such a fantastic and dynamic individual. Back in the day, an out and out ‘6’ would be solely used for the out of possession work and defensive-minded roles of play, but football in the modern era requires these type of players to also be capable on the ball too.
As mentioned, Kamara is a strong and powerful runner, but the 22 year-old also carries a hint of flair and excellent dribbling abilities too. Many YouTube compilations and highlight reels will showcase this particular aspect of play, where Bouba often squeezes out of tight, congested areas with terrific ball control and quick feet. Doing so, opens up spaces beyond opposition midfields where, as mentioned, offensive players reside for Kamara to offload the ball to.
In his 6 years playing for the Marseille first team, Kamara put away just four goals, but was rarely presented with a chance to score due to his role in the side. In a Steven Gerrard system, Douglas Luiz (who has often played in the 6) often found himself in and around the box, and scored twice in the 6/7 months since the head coach was appointed – failing to score in any of the games under Dean Smith at the start of the campaign. As a result, Kamara can express his shooting ability more in this Aston Villa side, and we could see his name on the score-sheet throughout the duration of the 2022/23 season.
Another important attribute of any midfielder, is that of passing. Once again this is an area that Kamara excels in, with the Frenchman achieving an overall pass success rate of 91% last season. The former Marseille man attempted 3.2 long balls per game on average too – an aspect that suits Gerrard’s system to a tee, where many long balls are distributed across 90 minutes in the direction of Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings in order to progress play and generate attacks.
Arguably one of the most important aspects of Kamara’s game is that of defending. On average, the No.4 made 2 tackles per game last season, whilst also recording 1.4 interceptions per game too. These numbers rank the 22 year-old high up in comparison to his Ligue 1 peers, helping him gain recognition as one of the French league’s best midfielders over the last few years.
Steven Gerrard will look for Kamara to not only repeat but build upon the admirable statistics he has attained during his time at Marseille over the years, and will hope his latest asset can become one of the Premier League’s best midfielders in seasons to come. On paper, it appears to be a magnificent acquisition to the Aston Villa side, but we will have to wait and see if Boubacar Kamara is the right man for the job.
AUTHOR | LIAM DAVIES
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive liamayrtondavies – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
TRANSFER HUB
UTV PODCAST | LATEST NEWS
Check out the latest news from the UTV PODCAST HQ.
VILLA BELLAS
Villa Bellas is the Official AVFC Womenβs Network. In an unequal and often unrelenting world we work to break down barriers for equality.
Our network aims to raise the voice of women and non-binary people at @AVFCOfficial We support inclusion & diversity and with our allies, we can challenge sexism and misogyny, creating a safe and welcoming environment for the fans in the stands and the women on the pitch.
Let’s celebrate ourselves and champion each other while having fun doing it!
Twitter: @villabellas Instagram: @villa.bellas
SUBSCRIBE
Enjoying this article – then please subscribe to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog to help us grow and support the site; you’ll receive instant email notifications of all released article.
Plus, it’s completely free.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
DONATE
You can now donate to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog– a small donation would go a long way to support the continued evolution of our site.
Thank you so much for your support.
