Aston Villa tie up their most vital summer signing: Boubacar Kamara

Midfielder signs bumper new Villa deal despite failure to qualify for the Champions League

It was immediately obvious that missing out on the Champions League at the end of last season could lead to catastrophic consequences.

Aston Villa fluffed their lines against a comically bad Manchester United. Emiliano Martínez got sent off against the team that spent all summer in his ear and then tried to get him on loan, and Villa’s hopes were cut short by an atrocious decision from a referee who was out of his depth.

Losing Champions League revenue is a big concern going into next season and the threat of needing to sell a player or two who Unai Emery would rather keep hasn’t quite gone away, though being forced to sell on the cheap has been averted – for now – by maintaining PSR compliance whatever the damage.

Combined with the ever-present threat of the Saudi Pro League plucking a key player away without a second thought, failing to secure Champions League football undeniably puts Villa at risk of losing someone important before the end of the transfer window.

It won’t be Boubacar Kamara.