Boubacar Kamara exodus from France international team has to end after strong Aston Villa form
Although fans and pundits clamoured for the likes of Erling Haaland, Gabriel Jesus, and Casemiro to be considered as Premier League signings of the season, Aston Villa picked up possibly the bargain of the lot in Boubacar Kamara.
The 23-year-old, who signed at the West Midlands on a free transfer from Marseille last summer, was hugely influential in Aston Villa securing Europa Conference League football under Unai Emery, striking up a formidable partnership with Douglas Luiz in the heart of midfield.
However, despite this strong form, Kamara has once again been left out of Didier Deschamps’ France international squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers – a decision which will surely be reversed in the near future.
The France manager selected Real Madrid duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelian Tchouameni, understandably, as well as Antonio Griezmann, Youssouf Fofana and Adrien Rabiot in his midfield.
At this point, Kamara will be wondering what on earth he has to do to force his way back into his country’s plans after making three appearances in 2022 but falling down the pecking order due to injury.
Although the Frenchman was missing for a large portion in the middle of Villa’s season, he came back in force for Villa’s final two games of the season against Liverpool and Brighton.
According to WhoScored, Kamara accumulated nine tackles, two interceptions and five dribbles across the 180 minutes of action.
In the must-win clash against the Seagulls on the final day of the season, he also recorded an impressive pass accuracy of 93.5%, which was far superior to his partner in crime, Luiz, who only managed a 75.8% success rate from his 33 total passes.
The former Marseille player’s form hasn’t been limited to just the past few games, with Kamara sitting in the 87th percentile of Premier League midfielders for tackles per 90 (2.94) and the 95th percentile for shots blocked (0.61 per 90) in the 2022/23 season. [FBREF]
Although France possess a wealth of talent in midfield, it is only going to be a matter of time before Kamara pushes his way back into contention.
Fighting on the European stage will only help his cause next season, and as long as he can stay off the Villa Park medical table, Deschamps might have his hand forced by Kamara.
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