A report has made an astonishing claim about why West Ham United target Boubacar Kamara has joined Aston Villa.
There was a massive blow for David Moyes this week when Aston Villa beat West Ham to the stunning free signing of sought after French midfielder Kamara.
The likes of Goal claimed just last month that West Ham boss Moyes was in the mix for the 22-year-old’s signature.
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As reported by Hammers News, Kamara confirmed his departure from Marseille earlier this week and revealed he would be announcing his new club soon.
That gave West Ham fans hope as Moyes had reportedly targeted Kamara as a potential replacement for Mark Noble.
With Atletico Madrid also in the running, though, the 22-year-old appeared more likely to opt for a move to Spain.
Villa pulled off a massive coup, though, by announcing the capture of Kamara on a free transfer on their official website on Monday morning.
The signing appears to be a real statement of intent from Villa, who have made it clear they want to rival the likes of West Ham for the European places next season.
There was something of a bizarre twist in the tale last night, though.
That’s after a report from Spain made an astonishing claim about why West Ham target Kamara has joined Aston Villa.
According to Football Espana and Mundo Deportivo, Villa winning the race for Kamara has caused a minor existential crisis within Spanish football.
Observers have questioned why such a highly-coveted player would choose a team that finished 14th in the Premier League ahead of one that finished third in La Liga and are Champions League regulars.
“Yet according to Daniel Riolo of RMC Sport, it might not have played out like that,” Football Espana reports.
“Atletico Madrid sporting director Andrea Berta supposedly went to Kamara’s house to discuss a move with the Frenchman, but the sight that greeted him was unacceptable in his mind.
“As Riolo tells it, Kamara greeted Berta in shorts and barefoot, with three of his friends also present. Upon which Berta believed decided that Kamara would never have what it takes to play for Diego Simeone.
“Mundo Deportivo carried Riolo’s story but did also note that Kamara had denied the story too in his press conference.”
It is a bizarre story indeed about the reported West Ham target Moyes missed out on.
The Hammers can only hope they have more luck chasing other targets with central midfield in serious need of strengthening.
For Villa, on the face of it at least, Kamara is a major coup. And Steven Gerrard does not seem the type to suffer fools easily so Dimitri Payet’s former teammate will undoubtedly learn a great deal under his new boss.