Boubacar Kamara key to Aston Villa’s rise as midfield influence grows | OneFootball

Boubacar Kamara has taken on a central role at Aston Villa, his absences exposing how much the team relies on him. According to L'Équipe, the 1-4 defeat at Arsenal on Tuesday underlined the difference when he is missing, and his form has attracted major European interest and talk of a France recall in 2026.

At the Emirates, Unai Emery lamented the gulf between the squads. Full strength, Villa might have kept the title race illusion alive, they sit third in the Premier League, six points behind the London leaders. Without suspended Kamara, their midfield lacked its usual control.

After the break, Arsenal’s press tightened and no Villa player could turn out with the ball, the kind of moments when the France international, capped five times, tends to steady the game. Since joining on a free from Marseille in summer 2022, Villa have won 58% with him and 40% without. This season it is two wins in three with him, one in three without, and Emery does not consider him under-rated internally.

Kamara extended his contract to June 2030, though Villa accept a major bid could change things. Aged 26, he is not looking beyond this season. He moved near Birmingham a month ago, prioritised a home gym, sees a Paris-based osteopath weekly and employs a personal chef.

Injuries have still struck, a knee problem before the 2022 World Cup and another serious one in February 2024 that hurt his Euro hopes. Emery noted he spent six or seven months out last year and has been outstanding since returning, improving steadily.

Now a standout box-to-box midfielder, John McGinn believes he ranks among Europe’s best. Kamara is shooting more too, as shown by his superb winner against Wolves in the 1-0 on 30 November. If he sustains this form and keeps lifting Villa, a France recall this year remains possible, he has not featured since November 2023 but has been in Didier Deschamps’s long lists.

Source: L'Équipe