Steven Gerrard’s and Johan Lange’s recruitment with Aston Villa over the course of the summer transfer window was extremely impressive.
Since joining the club as manager in November 2021, the Liverpudlian’s stature in the game saw the 42-year-old lure Philippe Coutinho to the Midlands for a permanent spell, while also signing Lucas Digne.
Gerrard then went and signed Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, and Leander Dendoncker to improve Villa’s starting XI and it’s the arrival of the French midfielder which has been the most impressive summer signing.
Gerrard has struck gold with Kamara
The 22-year-old agreed to join the club on a free transfer as his Marseille contract expired at the end of last season and it could well go down as the bargain of the summer.
The manager was thrilled by securing his signature, saying:
“I am delighted that we have been able to attract one of the most promising young talents in European football.
“We have a very clear plan to make our team stronger and Bouba is an important part of that.”
The “talented” midfielder, as described by writer Andrew Gibney, earns a staggering £150k-per-week at Villa, however, he has been one of the few shining lights so far this season.
Upon signing Kamara, Gerrard said, “Kamara’s going to give us style, he’s going to give us a passing range that I didn’t feel we had”
Kamara has started every one of Villa’s league matches so far, averaging a solid rating of 6.86 in the process. Sadly, that is unlikely to continue with the club suffering a “devastating” blow last week when the midfielder limped off injured.
Gerrard was certainly correct on the passing range comment, however, with Kamara making 84% of his total passes, 58% of his long balls and 62% of his chipped passes in his seven appearances, proving that the Frenchman can be efficient with a wide range of areas.
He has also added an extra layer of defensive cover to the team, making 3.3 tackles and 1.3 clearances, while also winning back possession 0.4 times per match.
Although it doesn’t look like Gerrard has a definite style or system at the Midlands side as of yet, and this is reflected in their poor results this season, Kamara will surely be a key focal point going forward.
With his talents, the manager should be directing the play through the 22-year-old, and the more matches he plays, the better he will become.
One thing is for sure, Villa have struck gold on Kamara and he could well make the club a fortune in the next few years.
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