With a drop of the shoulder, Boubacar Kamara moved serenely away from trouble and spread the play left. Later in the move, he received the ball back and played the penetrative pass to Morgan Rogers that led to Aston Villa restoring their lead.
Kamara’s return from injury during the second half of Villa’s Champions League round-of-16 tie with Club Brugge precipitated their 3-1 first-leg win in Belgium. If the midfielder can stay fit for the remainder of the campaign, it could make all the difference.
Villa’s season is in the balance, domestically and in Europe. The club has grand plans, determined to take that next step, but they are precariously placed as they assimilate new signings and manage an injury crisis. Everyone agrees Kamara could be key.
Lee Hendrie reacts as Marco Asensio puts Aston Villa 3-1 up against Club Brugge
Beyond Villa Park, eyes are elsewhere. At first, it was the striker conundrum, Ollie Watkins versus Jhon Duran. Now, the arrivals of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio take the headlines. Perhaps putting the spotlight on the big names is understandable.
But speak to Villa supporters and the importance of Kamara is unchanged. Many are missed when injured, their reputation only growing in their absence. The difference with Kamara is that whenever he returns he offers an instant reminder of his class.
The 25-year-old Frenchman is such a loss to Unai Emery, not just because of what he brings himself but what he brings out in others. Notably, his presence in midfield frees up his partner Youri Tielemans to play the more eye-catching passes alongside him.
The average length of Kamara’s own passes is relatively short at 14.7 metres. His pass completion rate as a Villa player is 91.8 per cent, which reflects his safe use of the ball, although the expected pass completion rate given their difficulty is only 86.7 per cent.
In other words, Kamara does play it simple, but he does it unusually well. It makes him the ideal foil for Tielemans. The Belgian is among the most creative players in the Premier League, completing more passes between the lines than any other midfielder.
Where Kamara makes the difference is off the ball, preventing threats before they emerge, snuffing out danger. Few do it better. Even this season, one disrupted by injury, he ranks among the top 10 for tackles per 90 minutes. Some of them have been crucial.
Kamara makes a vital tackle against West Ham to prevent a counter-attack
There is the example against West Ham that stopped a pass in behind. Late in the game against Leicester, Kamara’s ability to read the game avoided a three-on-three situation for Villa. It was an interception unlikely to make any highlights reel, but it mattered.
Kamara’s late intervention against Leicester to prevent a counter-attack
The nature of his work helps to explain how he is still under the radar despite being majestic in midfield on and off the ball. It is well over a year since Villa lost a Premier League home game with their free-transfer signing from Marseille in 2022 in the team.
That makes him one of the biggest bargains in recent Premier League history. His signing was a collaborative process, one that began under Dean Smith in the summer of 2021, was completed under Steven Gerrard before his skills were honed under Emery.
There had long been a recognition that an elite holding midfielder could transform Villa. He was watched regularly at Marseille, Gerrard among the contingent that flew to see him in April 2022, the deal being completed in May before Atletico Madrid could swoop.
Speaking to Emery about Kamara in January 2023, it quickly emerged that he had done his own homework. Typical Emery, it was not enough to watch videos or even to see him up close in training. “I had to increase my information about him,” he told Sky Sports.
“I got information from different people who have worked with him before when he was at Marseille. I spoke with [former Marseille sporting director] Andoni Zubizarreta. I read [former coach] Jorge Sampaoli speaking about him. Now we know him here as well.”
He added: “He has big potential. Very big potential. He is playing well and is so focused on improving his game, improving his capacity with and without the ball. He has been developing, in France and here. Now it is my responsibility to develop him even more.”
Kamara’s reliable passing is a feature of his game for Aston Villa
There is no doubt that Emery did that, helping Kamara to realise that potential, until an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered against Manchester United in February of last year brought an early end to his season. Villa certainly missed him that spring.
If there is a frustration it is that Kamara has not been available to Emery more often. That injury kept him out until October, denying him a proper pre-season, and his comeback came to an abrupt end when he was forced off against Ipswich recently.
Now, Kamara is back once again, much needed given that April alone could bring as many as eight matches if Villa progress in the cup competitions. Speaking to Emery about this latest return, he regards it as a testament to the player’s remarkable resolve.
“He has a huge mentality,” Emery tells Sky Sports. “We arrived here two years ago, and progressively we are seeing his improvement ever since then. Even with the injury, he is still moving forward. He came back playing even better than before he was injured.”
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Emery clearly adores Kamara. In the press conference after the 4-2 win over Celtic at Villa Park, the questions were naturally centred around the future of Duran and the breaking news that his other striker Watkins was a transfer target for Arsenal.
The only time that Emery’s face broke into a smile was when turning the conversation towards Kamara, mouthing the word, ‘wow’, more than once in reference to his performance as a centre-back. Kamara covered there for four games due to injuries.
He was not perfect when playing out of position, enduring a difficult night at Wolves. But he was imperious against Celtic and helped the team to beat Tottenham too. As composed as he looked, that was not really the point for Emery. It was his attitude to it.
Kamara was forced to switch to centre-back during Aston Villa’s injury crisis
“I spoke with him in the days before,” Emery recalls of the conversation they had about his change of position before the Celtic game. “He was quick responding to me, he was ready to play, and he has the balls to accept different challenges I can face with him.”
He adds: “He really is the sort of player any coach always wants in their squad because he is a very good professional, always doing his tasks. He has talent, but he works and he helps the other players on the field, he provides the cover and he has such versatility.
“He has played as a centre-back, a midfielder, a right-back, and he is always ready to do it, always focused on his new task. He is really fantastic and I appreciate this versatility a lot, and how he is showing us that his mind is open to everything we are trying to do.”
Kamara’s flexibility is undoubtedly impressive but his cameo against Club Brugge underlined the point that it is in the centre of midfield, partnering Tielemans, that he can really elevate the possibilities for this Aston Villa team. A defining period for player and club awaits.
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