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Why Etienne Camara's departure could be significant to Town moving forward

15/07/2023

With Etienne Camara's transfer to Udinese confirmed by the Italian outfit, it seems right to look back on his time at Town. It's been nearly 3 years since a 17-year-old Etienne Camara moved to Huddersfield from Angers in France and although I don't think he has fulfilled his potential at Town it should be a great indication to Kevin Nagle that this should be the way Town go with their recruitment.

I wrote a piece at the time when Town signed Camara that it is a step in the right direction as they were signing potential talents for the future who they could firstly use in the first team but also generate revenue. I do mention in that article that we should give Phil Hodgkinson credit, and while looking back, maybe the less said about him the better, one thing he did do well was looking at the academy recruitment. Brodie Spencer, Patrick Jones, Conor Falls, Nicholas Bilokapic and of course Etienne Camara were all foriegn players who were brought to West Yorkshire for nominal fees under Phil's tenure. The point I made was that it was a similar method Brentford were using to generate revenue. Even as a Championship club, Brentford were able to generate £100 million in 4 seasons from an investment of £30 million. This didn't just happen overnight that they were able to invest this sort of money, but over time, they were able to invest in players to generate larger revenue. This then meant they could spend £8 million on Ivan Toney as a Championship club without financial doping (cough cough Udinese's sister club, Watford).

How much has Town got for Camara?

The French media are reporting that Udinese paid a guaranteed €1.5 million which could rise to €2 million. It has not been reported whether there is a sell-on clause included, but if there is then Town have done well in the deal. One year left on his contract and with no intention to extend, in 6 months time, Camara could agree terms with a foreign club and Town would receive no compensation. That is why it was imperative that Town sold him given he had no intention of extending his contract.

The Perfect Case Study to Potential Youth Recruits

Having made his debut in the FA Cup vs Plymouth in 2021, Camara didn't feature in the first team again until the Carabao Cup game vs Preston North End last season. Even though he went over 18 months without a first team appearance, Camara was a pivotal part of the B team in 2021-22 as Town reached the last 16 of the Premier League Cup. Even though Town lost 3-1 to Stoke City, it showed that although Town have an unconventional approach to academy football, they still were able to go toe to toe with teams in the Premier League 2. It is important Town's B team are able to progress this far in competitions as it shows to potential new youth players that Town is a good place to come and develop.

Camara is a great case study, he has uprooted his life in France at 17 to come to England to chase his dream of being a footballer. He has then been a key part of the success of the B team in the last couple of seasons, because of that success, the players around him have been able to play against better opposition along with playing with someone of Etienne's calibre. He has then broken into the Town first team and made 20 Championship appearances. He may have not fulfilled his potential at Town, but and this is key, he has been sold for a 7 figure fee. You have to go back to when Town sold Jordan Williams in 2018 where Town have actually sold (and not released) an academy graduate that hasn't fully broken into the first team. It is deals like Camara that justify having an academy setup.

France U20 World Cup

Camara made the France U20 World Cup squad earlier this summer and while it does not mean an awful lot, it has been a while since Town had a player that they owned play for a major nation's youth setup. If anything it is something the staff at Huddersfield can be proud of. They were able to find a player who was very raw and had potential, yet they were able to develop them to get into a national setup.

Etienne has all the talent in the World, he has the height and the physicality that you need in the middle of the park. His biggest enemy is himself, it wouldn't surprise me to see him playing in the Premier League in the next couple of seasons (most likely at Watford), although equally having a lacklustre career. It is ultimately up to him and I hope for Town's sake there is a sell-on clause in the fee as I do believe he can go right to the very top.