Aston Villa could sign Yaya Toure-like star to replace Boubacar Kamara after crushing injury news
Aston Villa are trying to sign a new midfielder following Boubacar Kamara’s injury.
Despite a slow start to the season, Villa are Premier League title challengers but they face an uphill task to stay the course.
Unai Emery’s team desperately needs reinforcements, especially after Villa forward Donyell Malen joined Roma this month.
While Villa have signed Gremio winger Alysson, the youngster is unlikely to improve Emery’s first team straight away, nor is teenage forward Brian Madjo.
To make matters worse, Villa star Kamara looks to be ruled out for the rest of the season.
After Tottenham beat Villa to Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher, the Villa Park club are seemingly looking to Serie A for a new recruit.
Aston Villa consider former Chelsea star
According to The Telegraph, Kamara could miss the rest of the campaign after further scans on a knee injury he suffered against Tottenham in the FA Cup on 10 January.
The 26-year-old has been one of Villa’s best players this season and if they want to maintain their title push, a replacement may be needed.
It’s stated that AC Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has emerged as a target for Villa.
The former Chelsea man, who moved to San Siro in 2023, has made 23 appearances in all competitions for Milan this season.
Filling the void left by Kamara will not be an easy task but according to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, Loftus-Cheek can be “unplayable” at times.
Back in 2021, Ferdinand likened the big and powerful Loftus-Cheek to former Manchester City and Barcelona star Yaya Toure, who was known for his pace and barnstorming runs.
Whether they can bring in the 29-year-old remains to be seen.
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Why Kamara’s injury could derail Aston Villa’s season
While Villa could be boosted with the signing of Besiktas loanee Tammy Abraham, the injury to their midfielder destroyer in Kamara is such a big blow.
With him, they are a side who have an outside shot at the Premier League title and are in a strong position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Without him, they are more like the side that endured a winless start to the campaign and were languishing in the bottom half of the table.
| Villa’s Premier League results this season with and without Kamara | |
| With Kamara: (1) 12 wins from 17 games (2) 29 goals for and 16 against, (3) 2.3 points per game | |
| Without Kamara: (1) One win from five games, (2) Four goals for and nine against, (3) 0.3 points per game |
Incidentally, the aforementioned report adds that another option to replace Kamara could be former midfielder Douglas Luiz, who is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest.
The Brazilian was reluctantly sold by Villa to Juventus in 2024 to ease their financial fears and since then he has had a tough time, sparingly featuring for both the Italian giants and Forest.
Alternatively, Villa could try and bank on fellow midfielder Amadou Onana anchoring their midfield, although he has had his own injury issues.
Either way, signings now have to be made.
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