Anthony Onifade

Sat 5 August 2023 16:10, UK

Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara now faces a tough fight on his hands to keep his first-team place after the signing of Youri Tielemans, but the Frenchman still remains a crucial piece of the jigsaw at Villa Park.

The Villans have undergone one of the most impressive summer transformations in the Premier League, completing the signings of Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby and there could still be more ambitious additions to come in the coming weeks.

However, one of the most impressive of the lot was the free signing of Tielemans, coming in to add further quality to a midfield already stacked with experienced international stars.

Unai Emery now possesses an exciting and complete blend of midfielders to choose from next season, providing Villa Park fans with a huge sense of intrigue as to who will be the starting players when their season kicks off against Newcastle United on 12 August.

A regular feature for Belgium on the international stage, picking up 60 caps since his debut in 2016, Tielemans has long been considered one of the most innovative and progressive midfielders in the Premier League.

Villa boss Unai Emery has already transformed the tactical trajectory at Villa Park with the club now becoming both an effective and decisive team both in the transition and when playing out from the back and the signing of Tielemans is another telling element which would enhance an already impressive philosophy at Villa Park.

The 26-year-old midfielder looks a perfect option to add some extra creativity and dynamism to Villa’s midfield in the final third.

According to FBRef, Tielemans sat in the 86th percentile for progressive passes made by midfielders last season, averaging 6.95 per 90 minutes. This equated to a total of 181 progressive passes across the season, which was 33 more than Douglas Luiz, who topped the charts for Villa.

Such quality in possession will be too hard for Unai Emery to ignore, given his need and desire for his Villa side to be better in possession from the back and Tielemans seems an absolute certainty to start the campaign alongside the Brazilian or even John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia in midfield.

But what does that mean for Kamara’s place in the team? With the Villans set to embark on a European adventure, there will be plenty of places up for grabs but the former Marseille midfielder will certainly feel he’s well worth his weight in gold to be a permanent Aston Villa fixture, and the interest from elsewhere suggests why.

According to The Athletic journalist Andy Jones (July 19), Liverpool are interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara as they are short of quality options in the defensive midfield role following the sales of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian clubs.

The interest in Kamara makes perfect sense for Jurgen Klopp given their lack of options at number six, and his defensive midfield stats will certainly leave the German coach licking his lips.

The former Marseille man has been superb since he was snapped up by Steven Gerrard last summer, showcasing himself as one of the best tough-tackling defensive midfielders in the league, and amongst his positional peers in Europe, 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].

The French disruptor also impressively sits in the 92nd percentile for midfielders over the last year for blocks (1.80 per 90) whilst also being in the top 25% of his European counterparts for tackles (2.57 per 90) and clearances (1.49 per 90) [FBREF] marking him out to be amongst the best in his role in Europe.

However, whether that’s enough to tempt Emery into making him a guaranteed starter in the team next season is another matter entirely. But he’d fit in at Anfield like a glove, not only because of his class and excellence in disrupting the opposition attacks but becoming a progressive and controlling force when building from the back.

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.

While a move to Merseyside makes sense for the midfield enforcer and Liverpool, it certainly won’t do for Aston Villa.

Despite possessing a plethora of quality midfield options, there is arguably no one better at becoming so well-rounded in both his play on the ball and off it than Kamara, which points him as a crucial part of Emery’s jigsaw puzzle at Villa Park.

In other Aston Villa news, one Bodymoor Heath wonder has been handed the perfect platform to continue his development after news emerged.