Why Aboubakar Kamara will be vital to Fulham’s play-off final success

Add as preferred source on Google

Although Denis Odoi and Ryan Sessegnon stole the headlines in the aftermath of Fulham’s 2-0 play-off semi-final win over Derby, perhaps the standout player that night was right winger Aboubakar Kamara.

The 23-year-old Frenchman was drafted into the starting lineup for the first time since January, and produced an all-action performance that was filled with power, pace, and trickery.

And in the Cottagers’ upcoming play-off final, the winger will be vital to Fulham’s success if he can replicate his semifinal heroics against Aston Villa.

Kamara joined Fulham last summer after gaining promotion to Ligue 1 with French side Amiens, and divided opinion early on during his stay at Craven Cottage. There was no doubting his natural gifts and ability, yet often his composure and technique was left severely lacking.

A inconsistent fall was followed by a prolific winter, in which the Frenchman scored five goals during a four match spell in December and January.

But the arrival of Aleksandar Mitrovic on transfer deadline day relegated Kamara to the bench, where he mainly stayed until the penultimate match of the regular season against Sunderland.

In that match, Kamara’s introduction completely changed the course of the game and helped the Whites come back to win from a 1-0 first half deficit.

But in the ensuing two matches, manager Slavisa Jokanovic did not hand the attacker a place in the starting XI and Fulham proceeded to lose against Birmingham City and Derby.

And then Kamara truly announced himself in the second leg at the Cottage, offering an excellent offensive outlet all match long, terrorising the defence with his bursts of acceleration, and linking up superbly with Mitrovic and Sessegnon.

The 23-year-old provided the spark the Whites were missing in the first leg of the semifinal; this offensive firepower will also be priceless in the final against Villa.

The thought of a confident Aboubakar Kamara running full pelt at a helpless Alan Hutton is a delightful image for the Fulham faithful, who will hope the Frenchman can continue his excellent recent form and lead the club to the Premier League.