Ex-Birmingham City star reveals the one thing that could see Aston Villa 'push for Europe' as fine run goes on
Boubacar Kamara’s stunning goal helped Aston Villa secure yet another crucial victory as their good run of form continues
Former Birmingham City frontman Troy Deeney has named the one Aston Villa star he believes is pivotal to the club’s chances of cementing a Champions League position once again this season.
After a laboured start to the campaign, Villa have emerged as one of the most in-form teams in the entire league. Over the last nine matches they have won seven, drawn once and only fell to one defeat away at the reigning champions Liverpool.
They have scored 16 times in this period and have only conceded seven times, picking up a combined total of 22 points from a possible 27, one higher than the current league leaders Arsenal.
Villa’s 1-0 triumph over relegation-threatened Wolves was the latest in a long line of positive performances, with Boubacar Kamara’s thunderous strike proving the difference between the two sides.
Troy Deeney heaps praise on Boubacar Kamara
Deeney, who played for Birmingham, Watford and Walsall during his playing days, has heaped praise on Villa midfielder Kamara. The BBC Sport pundit named Kamara in his Team of the Week for his performance and has sung his praises, labelling him as someone that makes everything tick with his ability to dominate midfield duels.
He said: “Wonderful goal against Wolves which stole the derby in their favour. If he can be fully fit and stay fit, Villa have a real chance of pushing for Europe again. I think he is that good. He broke up play really well, dominated in midfield and capped it off with a goal.”
How important is Kamara to Aston Villa?
Kamara joined Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer from Marseille, in what has to go down as one of the club’s best signings of the Premier League era, and certainly the smartest piece of business during Steven Gerrard’s tenure as manager.
The Frenchman has racked up 114 appearances in total, scoring three times and providing five assists. However, it’s his ability to protect the defence and control the midfield in particular which has made him a real fan favourite for a Villa team that have qualified for Europe in all of the last three seasons in an excellent period for the club.
Since the start of the 2023/24 season, according to data from Stat Muse, Villa have had a record of 33 wins, nine draws and 15 defeats in the Premier League with Kamara on the pitch - giving him a win percentage of around 58 %. In contrast, without him they’ve won 13, drawn 11 and fallen to defeat on eight occasions - which equates to just 41% in comparison.
His absence was particularly notable earlier in the campaign when the club were beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace earlier in the campaign. However, Kamara’s return to fitness has directly coincided with an immense run of form. Kamara this term has the highest average match rating of any Villa player with 7.05, making him the most consistent performer in the team, as per WhoScored.