Dan Bardell: Champions League clubs would sign Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara if they could turn back time
Boubacar Kamara has been a revelation for Aston Villa since completing his free transfer from Marseille last summer, and very much looks like the Rolls Royce midfielder the club have been searching for since their return to the Premier League in 2019.
After being injured for the majority of Steven Gerrard’s final weeks in the Villa Park dugout, the French international has only moved from strength to strength under new manager Unai Emery.
Sitting beside Douglas Luiz at the heart of Villa’s midfield, the 23-year-old can drop into Villa’s back-line as a third centre-half when under pressure, but also build Villa’s attacks in a quarter-back style when winning back possession.
Kamara’s technical brilliance has quickly seen him become the go-to man to lead Emery’s passing style of play, with his distribution coming to the fore in well-worked goals against both Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
On both occasions, the ball started at the feet of Emi Martinez and ended up in the opposition net within seven passes – but notably, Kamara played an instrumental role in launching both attacks.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, The Athletic’s Dan Bardell waxed lyrical about the “fantastic” business that Villa completed in signing Kamara and admitted that several Champions League clubs would wish they could turn back time in order to sign him.
“He’s the best midfielder Villa have brought into the club since they have returned to the Premier League,” he said.
“Probably other than Emi Martinez, Kamara is the club’s best signing since their return to the Premier League. The fact he was on a free transfer and that he is almost certainly capable of playing at Champions League level shows what a good signing it was.
“I think if a lot of those Champions League teams could turn back time now, they would bring him in – especially if you look at Liverpool, for example, with their midfield being a major area of concern all season – he’s definitely good enough to play there.
“Steven Gerrard didn’t do too much good for Villa, but he was a massive driver in getting Kamara in, so he deserves credit for that. Everyone always talks about McGinn for £2.5million and what a great signing that was, but Kamara on a free transfer, whenever the time comes that he leaves the club, Villa will be making at least £40-£50million profit.
“It was a fantastic piece of business, and I would like to see a bit more savvy business like that going forward.”
Despite Kamara’s stunning recent form under Emery, Aston Villa were dealt a crushing blow when he hobbled off the pitch in the 1-0 win against Crystal Palace last Saturday (4 March).
Emery has since confirmed that the midfielder’s injury is “not too serious”, however he is expected to miss both matches against West Ham and Bournemouth before the international break.
In the former Marseille player’s absence, the mantle will fall to either Calum Chambers or John McGinn to play in the heart of midfield, neither of whom possesses the technical ability to control a game in the way Kamara does.
If Aston Villa are to keep alive any hopes of a late surge for European football this season, the length of Kamara’s injury absence will be pivotal.
In other Aston Villa news, the club has been tipped to sign a new striker to aid their bid to return to European football.