Amid speculation linking Aston Villa with a move for Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, would the Uruguayan be the best option for Steven Gerrard?
As per Fabrizio Romano, Villa are said to be interested in the 24-year-old, while Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara is also said to be on our current transfer shortlist.
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First and foremost, it’s reassuring to know that Gerrard and Villa have identified that defensive midfield area as one that can be improved, as it could be argued that has been a vulnerability and weakness of ours for some time.
However, would Bentancur be the best option as a solution to that problem, or are there better suited alternatives?
Bentancur would be top signing, but Kamara a better fit?
As per The Telegraph’s John Percy, Villa have had a £25m bid for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma rejected, and so while he would remain the ideal solution given his characteristics and attributes, it remains to be seen if that is our last offer or if we continue to pursue him as our priority target this window.
In the event that we are forced to consider alternatives, Bentancur and Kamara have seemingly emerged as the most likely options as noted by Romano, and so it’s a difficult decision as to who would represent the better deal.
Bentancur has operated at a higher level for longer and having won silverware at Juventus and shone on the international stage as well with 45 caps to his name, he will bring experience and a winner’s mentality to the Villa squad, which has seemingly been a priority for Gerrard this month as seen with the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne.
In that regard, the Uruguayan international would be the best bet.
However, as per the tweet below which compares key statistics between Bentancur and Kamara, it could be argued that while they are quite similar in many categories, it’s the latter who could add what Villa are desperately missing at the moment.
Bentancur in many ways is arguably an upgrade on Douglas Luiz, with both players quite similar in terms of relying on their positioning and awareness to nip in and win back possession, while being technically gifted to then start building play forward.
In contrast, Kamara could be considered more of a midfield ‘destroyer’ and a physical presence to break things up and impose himself on games in that area. That is something Villa don’t have in the current squad, and given the link with Bissouma initially, it’s surely something that Gerrard wants to add to his XI.
As we saw in the second half at Everton when Villa came under pressure, we still miss that physically imposing figure in midfield to win 50/50s, grab a game by the scruff of the neck and win that midfield battle to regain control.
Kamara is still young and untested at the top, top level, but if Villa can’t get Bissouma, then perhaps the Marseille man is the best option over Bentancur. In fairness though, either signing would make for an excellent addition to the Villa squad, and it’s another exciting transfer development to follow as we continue to try and improve the side with top players.
Some key stats comparisons between Bentancur & Kamara in their respective leagues so far this season amid talk of Villa interest in the pair.
Certainly wouldn't mind either but would slightly lean towards Kamara for what I think we need. Thoughts?
[📷 via @squawka]#avfc #UTV pic.twitter.com/FkGp7nfpGd
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) January 23, 2022
