Villa struck gold with Boubacar Kamara

Aston Villa‘s addition of Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer last summer always had the potential to be an excellent piece of business, and with the Frenchman starting to display his qualities on the pitch, it seems clear that the Villans have well and truly stuck gold with his signing.

How much is Boubacar Kamara worth?

The versatile 6 foot 1 midfielder joined Villa on a free transfer from Marseille nine months ago, and after shaking off an injury issue that he picked up just before the World Cup, he has now established himself as a mainstay in Unai Emery‘s side.

In total, the 23-year-old has made 17 appearances for Villa in the top flight, in which he has contributed one assist, which has helped him to earn a solid 6.62 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This ranks him as the seventh-best performer at Villa Park so far this term, so it is clear how important he has become in Emery’s squad, with the manager opting to deploy him alongside Douglas Luiz in the midfield following the World Cup break.

Kamara has also averaged a superb 2.7 tackles per game in the top flight this season, which is comfortably the best of any player in Emery’s squad.

Impressive recent performances against Spurs, Leeds United, Southampton and Arsenal have seen him catch the eye, with WhoScored awarding him a 6.99 rating or higher in each of those games.

Kamara arrived at Villa Park with a big reputation and, at 23, it seems clear that he should only get better under a successful manager such as Emery, with the Frenchman hoping to live up to the praise that he earned from former team-mate Rolando at Marseille.

The veteran defender told RMC Sport (via AfricaTopSports): “This kid is a phenomenon. When he started training with us, he was 15 years old. And from day one, I said, no, but this little one is going to be a great player. He’s the kind of central defender I like. He is full of qualities and, above all, he works, he listens. It is out of the ordinary.”

Kamara’s strong performances in both Ligue 1 and the Premier League have seen his valuation increase further, with CIES Football Observatory now valuing the player at €30m (£26m).

While Villa fans will be hoping that they can keep hold of the Frenchman for the significant future, it seems that the club will probably make a significant profit on Kamara should he depart for elsewhere having continued his upward trajectory.