Boubacar Kamara: The Aston Villa midfielder is an unassuming star

In January 2022, Aston Villa, then coached by Steven Gerrard, realized that they lacked a true midfielder capable of stabilizing the team and allowing others, such as John McGinn, more freedom.

Part of the discussion was about how to get the best out of Douglas Luiz and find the perfect pairing in midfield with a No.6 who can use the ball and has positional discipline.

Villa took into account how overlooked midfield partnerships are and how balanced they need to be, comparing them to vital centre-back roles.

Kamara played as a centre-back early in his Marseille career, or when he was in midfield, he could drop into the middle of a back three.

This has given Villa an insight into his skill set, how he will be able to build play from the back, and an appreciation for his positional awareness and the spaces he looks to occupy.

Scouts saw a player of character and courage, a youngster ready to handle the spotlight at Marseille – having made his debut at 16 after joining the club at the age of five – where the pressure was palpable.

They saw calm and composure which gave them the belief that he would be able to make the transition to the Premier League well.

One downside is his injury record, and in his first season he missed 17 games due to knee and ankle problems.

Worse still, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United in February 2024, keeping him out for eight months.

However, there was confidence that, given his workload at Marseille, he would be able to handle the rigors of the Premier League and Europe.

Villa scouts watched Marseille’s 2-0 win over Lens in January 2022 to evaluate Kamara against another potential target in Cheick Doucoure, who went to Crystal Palace that summer.

They then decided not to sign a midfielder in the winter window and prioritized signing Kamara, after having been tracking him for more than a year, on a free transfer.

Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur, then playing for Juventus, was one option, but there were doubts about whether he was the defensive midfielder Villa needed and whether he could bring enough discipline to the role.

Gerrard has scouted Ibrahim Sangari – who now plays for Nottingham Forest – for PSV Eindhoven’s match against Leicester City in the Europa League quarter-finals.

He also watched Kamara in Marseille’s semi-final defeat to Feyenoord.

By then, though, the deal had been sealed with Villa beating Atletico Madrid for his signature. Villa’s scouts were sure he was the best option.

The midfielder held meetings with both clubs but chose to move to England after CEO Christian Borslow, sporting director Johan Lange and Gerrard traveled to meet him.