View: Boubacar Kamara will be vital for Aston Villa top 10 push next season
Boubacar Kamara could be the player Aston Villa were missing as they look to finish in the top 10 next season in the Premier League.
Douglas Luiz and John McGinn were Steven Gerrard’s go to options in the middle of the park, but none fancied playing as the deepest of two midfielders.
This led to the team often being overrun in midfield – something which Kamara’s signing will ensure that it does not happen.
As seen in the WhoScored comparison matrix above, the Frenchman tends to find himself in the right place at the right time.
While McGinn averages one more tackle per game, it is most often in the final third when he’s asked to win the ball back higher up the pitch.
However, Kamara is the one who’s breaking up play as you can see with his 1.4 interceptions per game while he’s also making more clearances and blocks per 90 than the other two Villa defenders.
He also does not get dribbled past nearly as often as his two teammates for the coming season – something which Gerrard would have surely taken into consideration.
While McGinn is the more creative of the three players, Kamara seems to be the most involved player in the game and his passing accuracy is also exceptional.
Anything north of 90 per cent suggests that the player is an incredible passer and one who does not get fazed by pressures.
He also averages more passes attempted with 70 than any of the other two players so he’s constantly getting into the game and dictating the tempo of the game.
Kamara and McGinn can form an extremely fluid midfield two with there being a good chance of Phillipe Coutinho being moved into the number 10 position for next season.
In other Aston Villa news, manager Steven Gerrard is very keen to bring Liverpool defender Joe Gomez to the club.