Aston Villa have beaten Manchester United to the signing of Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara.
The 22-year-old was available on a free transfer after confirming he wouldn’t be signing an extension at the Stade Velodrome. United had previously been linked with Kamara, but Steven Gerrard’s side have now confirmed he has signed a five-year deal at Villa Park.
Gerrard said: “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.”
Kamara has recently received his first call-up to the French national team and admitted that the decision to work alongside the legendary former Liverpool skipper was an easy one to make. “When I met with Steven, Christian and Johan in my home I knew Aston Villa was for me. Their ambition and determination to succeed matches my own. I cannot wait for pre-season to get going,” he told the club’s official website.
Kamara joins Philippe Coutinho having already signed for the ambitious Midlands outfit, who will be looking to kick on from a Premier League campaign which saw them briefly flirt with relegation. Any concerns about dropping into the Championship were quickly alleviated following the arrival of Gerrard however, guiding them to a comfortable 14th place finish.
On United's part, their need for a defensive central midfield player is clear with the imminent departures of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba reducing what was already a threadbare position. Ralf Rangnick completed his miserable stint as interim boss with defeat on the final day at Crystal Palace and warned new manager Erik ten Hag that he will need to sign players to repair the unity at a broken Old Trafford.
Ten Hag will be officially unveiled as the new United boss on Sunday and Rangnick has told him exactly the type of players he needs to target in his first window in the hot seat. "Team spirit is an issue. I think this team could do with more cohesion, there could be more togetherness on the pitch," the German explained.
“This is also important when we think of new players - when the board together with the manager are thinking about new players - that we make sure they are not only players that have the quality to strengthen the squad but they are players who will invest in the team spirit."
Rangnick added: “For me, it’s about [understanding] why do players move to a certain club. Apart from quality, talent, the physicality that you need for this league, and mentality, I think the most important thing is that we find players for who [here] is the best next sporting step [for them].
“They shouldn’t want to come because it’s Manchester United and maybe they get a good contract here, it should be for developing their careers and taking the next best possible step in their careers. That happens and you have a completely different level of motivation and energy.”
