Aston Villa announce first summer signing less than 24 hours after season ends
Last Updated: May 23, 2022 4:04 pm
Aston Villa have announced the arrival of Boubacar Kamara from Marseille on a free transfer this summer less than 24 hours after their final game of the season.
The 22-year-old revealed that he had already decided on his next club in a recent interview with French media, adding that he wanted to discover a new league and challenge himself further.
‘I’ve made my decision, which is to not renew and to leave OM at the end of this season. I think it’s the best decision for the next part of my career’, Kamara claimed.
‘I’m at a point in my career where I want to progress, to discover a new challenge, a new league. I’ve chosen my future club, you’ll find out who it is soon.’
And, in something of a surprise, it turns out that Aston Villa have beaten other sides to his signature, with Kamara penning a five year contract at Villa Park.
Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of @BoubaKamara_4 on a five-year contract! ✅
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 23, 2022
Current Villa boss Steven Gerrard told the official Aston Villa site ‘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’s star on the rise
Kamara has excelled for Marseille this season in their push for Champions League football, making 34 appearances for Jorge Sampaoli’s side as they clinched second place in Ligue 1, albeit 15 points behind eventual winners Paris Saint Germain.
And, his performances have been recognised by Didier Deschamps, with the France boss calling him up to his maiden national team squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures for Les Blues.
He will certainly strengthen the Villa midfield, and provide Gerrard with another option in the middle of the pitch as they look to build on an ultimately disappointing season.
Read more:
Liverpool confirm first summer signing ahead of Champions League final
Watch Luuk de Jong bid the Camp Nou farewell as Dani Alves speaks out over Barcelona future
This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Southampton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Chelsea FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Liverpool FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Fulham FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | AFC Bournemouth | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Brentford FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 23 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 15 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 11 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 11 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 9 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
