Why Bournemouth must go all out to sign Hassane Kamara

Bournemouth are said to have made enquiries about Stade de Reims’s Hassane Kamara, according to L’Equipe (h/t Bournemouth Echo).

Kamara has been in impressive form for the French side this season, helping them to 10th place in the Ligue 1 so far. He has made 12 top-flight appearances this term and has managed to get his name on the scoresheet once. The player also helped Reims claim the French Ligue 2 title in 2018.

Since their promotion to the Premier League four years ago, Bournemouth have established and consolidated their status as a top-flight club. Now, simply avoiding relegation isn’t sufficient and the pressure is there to see.

In a wholly disappointing performance, the Cherries looked disjointed, low on confidence and were overpowered by a physically superior Watford before losing 1-0 to Norwich this weekend. It feels as though there is a disconnect within the club and they are no longer playing like the team we have come to expect.

They’ve scored just once in six league games and there is no sign of where the goals are going to come from. A part of the problem is a lack of belief but against Watford, Howe’s side also looked lightweight in the full-back department, with Diego Rico and Adam Smith not providing enough aggression. After injuries to summer signing Lloyd Kelly and veteran Charlie Daniels, the Cherries have struggled on the left-hand side of the defence. Diego Rico has been deployed at left-back but he has been unable to put in consistent shifts.

In 18 appearances in the Premier League so far, Rico has managed only 2 assists but has picked up 6 yellow cards in the process. He has managed 2.1 tackles and 3 interceptions per game. He has averaged 0.4 shots per game and as many dribbles with a pass success of 67.7%. [Courtesy: Whoscored]

Kamara, on the other hand, has contributed a goal in 12 appearances for Reims this season. He has averaged 2.9 tackles and 3 interceptions per game while also notching up 1.1 shots and 1.7 dribbles per 90 minutes to go with a pass success of 83.8% [Courtesy: Whoscored]

With two weeks left of the transfer window, Bournemouth need players who can add physicality to their starting line-up but also have the experience of fighting relegation and turning that situation around. Thus, it would be a shrewd piece of business if they manage to land the 25-year-old Kamara from Reims.