Anderlecht’s King Kara was a real star of the January transfer window, and the period afterwards. Linked with several Premier League teams, most notably Crystal Palace and Leicester City, Kara Mbodj was much wanted, but Anderlecht were determined not to sell.
In early April it was reported in Belgium that Anderlecht rejecting a €12m Crystal Palace offer during the winter window had gone to Kara’s head, and he hadn’t been the same player since. The Belgian media seemed to be challenging Kara to help Anderlecht cross the line with their title win, before the defender could think about a new club.
A sale was expected early in the summer, and had Sam Allardyce stayed at Crystal Palace then it’s a very good bet that Kara would now be part of the Selhurst Park squad, probably for less than the club offered in January.
But there hasn’t been any serious approaches, and whilst Thursday’s edition of Het Belang van Limburg mentions Leicester interest, it’s more historical than immediate.
With a lack of opportunities, Kara is devoting himself to Anderlecht, and HBVL say the ‘Senegalese warrior’ is content to stay ‘on his throne’ in Belgium.
Kara himself is quoted as saying: “It would not bother me to stay in Anderlecht for a little longer… Everybody thinks Kara only wants to go to England. That I’m only busy with a transfer to the Premier League. That’s not true. There are a lot of other competitions that appeal to me.”
It would be interesting to see this claim tested. Should Crystal Palace, Leicester, or anyone else make a move, then Kara’s new found Anderlecht commitment could be shaken.
The 27 year old is confident and has proven himself to be a good defender. A lot of Premier League clubs could do a lot worse this summer than sign Kara Mbodj.
