Who is Kara Mbodji? All you need to know about Fulham’s £4.5million target
According to The Sun, Fulham could make a £4.5million bid for Anderlecht defender Kara Mbodji. The Cottagers, however, will face competition from Leicester and Crystal Palace (h/t The Sun). Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic could reunite the Senegalese centre-back with new signing and Kara’s former club-mate, Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Kara Mbodji can feature either as an anchorman in the midfield or as a central defender. The Sun claims that the Belgian giants are willing to cash in on the 28-year-old, who has two years left on his current contract. The centre-back has collected 41 caps for the Teranga Lions.
But unfortunately, the right-footed Mbodji sat out on all of Senegal matches at the World Cup due to a niggling knee injury picked up in December last year. The former Genk ace’s limited game time has only seen his value plummet.
Standing at a towering 6ft 4in, the defensive powerhouse played a key role as Anderlecht won the Jupiler League title in 2016/17. Given the Cottagers’ offer, however, Anderlecht must sanction a sale this summer.
Mbodji was born in Ndiass in Senegal and he joined Diambars’ academy as a 15-year-old. He quickly established himself in the academy within two years, impressing European scouts. The young prospect then joined Norwegian club Tromso, where he went on to stay for three seasons.
Twice named as the second-best player in the league, Kara eventually switched to Belgian side Genk in 2013. After three more seasons at Genk, he moved on to Anderlecht where his reputation soared.
At Fulham, Mbodji would offer an aerial that the team continues to lack. Given his height, Kara is dangerous from set-pieces. He has scored a total of 18 league goals in 206 Eliteserien and Jupiler Pro League appearances. The 28-year-old is big, strong and has a good amount of pace to burn.
He could partner Tim Ream at the heart of Fulham’s defence. He could also partner Kevin McDonald as a double pivot in Jokanovic’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Specializing in blocking, Mbodji is always willing to put his body on the line to thwart opposition attacks.
Read More: How Fulham could fit in Mitrovic and Schurrle in the starting XI? Predicting Jokanovic’s team
Hence, Mbodji would be an exciting and experienced player for Fulham. He has made 272 club career appearances, including over 100 in the Belgian top-flight. In addition, he also has 28 appearances and four goals and an assist in the UEFA Europa League.
Jokanovic should sign Mbodji to strengthen the spine of his newly-promoted Fulham side. The Cottagers return to the Premier League after more than five years’ absence.
