What will Aston Villa get from Boubacar Kamara?

Aston Villa won the race for one of European football's most in-demand free transfers. Let's take a look at what he will bring to Steven Gerrard's side.

The final fixture of the Premier League season was barely a few hours over when it emerged that Aston Villa were making Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara their first signing of the summer. The club announced the deal officially the next morning as the 22-year-old joined the Villains on a free transfer. 

The deal is something of a coup for the Midlands club as Kamara was being tracked by several Champions League level sides and Atletico Madrid had been favourites to sign the Frenchman. Instead, Steven Gerrard has got the midfield signing that he has been craving and a high-quality one at that. 

Kamara will surely come in as Villa’s deepest midfielder, but what kind of player have they signed?

Disciplined Positionally

The 22-year-old will hold his position at the base of midfield in a disciplined fashion, as he plays a supporting role as his team have possession. Don’t expect him to run forward and join attacks. His goals per 90 figure of 0.03 and 0 assists show a player who does not contribute in attacking phases. 

When Villa are attacking, their newest midfielder will wait in deep positions to recover the ball - should it be lost - and recycle possession. ​​​​​​

Active in build-up

With Kamara at the base of midfield, they should be able to build out from the back and through midfield in an improved fashion in 22/23. Kamara’s 80.24 passes per 90 put him in the 97th percentile for midfielders in Europe for the metric, showing a player who is regularly receiving the ball and regularly making passes himself to keep possession moving for his team. Additionally, Kamara can be relied upon to keep possession very well, as his pass completion rate of 91% puts him in the 96th percentile. 

That could suggest a player who plays things too safe on the ball. However, the fact that Kamara is comfortably above average in progressive passes (4.32 per 90) and progressive carries (4.23 per 90) demonstrates that he can be aggressive with the ball and help his team move into more dangerous attacking positions.

Strong defensively

Playing in the deepest midfield position, Kamara also needs strong defensive attributes. Interestingly, he is not the most aggressive defender as his pressures per 90 figure of 15.21 ranks only in the 16th percentile for midfielders. That suggests that Villa’s new signing is mostly a player who defends space, rather than aggressively pursuing duels. 

This is illustrated further by the fact that his interceptions per 90 of 2.16 are in the 79th percentile. He is a player who mostly looks to block passing options for his opponents and will step in to win the ball as the ball carrier releases it. 

Will he cope in the Premier League?

It can be the case that some players moving over to the Premier League from France are slow to adjust. Leicester City’s Boubakary Soumare was signed from last season’s French Champions Lille and he had a tough season for the Foxes. That is worth keeping in mind if Kamara makes a slow start in England. 

However, the Frenchman was a target for Champions League clubs for a reason. The fact that Villa were able to attract him is still surprising and speaks of the financial power of England’s top flight. Kamara certainly has Champions League potential and it seems more likely that the Villains might struggle to hold on to him in the longer term than he will struggle in the Premier League.