Loan Report: Medo Kamara

You may well be forgiven for forgetting about our defensive midfielder, the most iconic player to ever wear the sacred Bolton Wanderers #44 jersey, Medo Kamara. The Sierra Leone international has spent the last few months on loan in Israel, playing for Maccabi Haifa F.C, in the Israeli Premier League, well out of the vast majority of Bolton supporters' jurisdiction of football knowledge.

To try and get some insight into how Medo is getting on in Israel, I chatted to Ori Cooper, senior writer at the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Israel's largest newspaper. He's also a former football scout who worked in England.

Thanks for talking to us, Ori. How has Medo performed in Israel?

He is doing OK. Not great, but just fine. The main problem is that his club, Maccabi Haifa, have had a terrible season. We are talking about a top club in Israel, that has spent a lot of money in the summer, including the signing of the famous ex Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder, Yossi Benayoun, but have failed dramatically this season. I will say that Medo is one of the better players at the club, but that's not saying much.

Have the fans taken to him; do they want to see him return next year?

The fans are still not sure if he is the right midfielder for the club. He is doing much better than the other options the club currently have in his position, but if the team want to fight for the championship an upgrade has to be made. I believe most of the fans think that way.

What has he done well whilst playing for Haifa?

He is doing good defensive work. Maccabi Haifa suffered from poor defending at the beginning of the season and Medo helped in that matter. He tackles much more than the previous starting central midfielder, the Spaniard Michel.

What are the bad aspects of his game?

He does not contribute enough in the attacking third of the pitch. Most of his passes are backwards and he is not a fast thinker in the offensive aspect of the game.

Where do you see his future lying? Would Haifa be able to afford him in the summer if they were interested? Do you think he's good enough for a Championship side?

They can afford him, but they are not sure if they want him to stay. The manager who brought him to the club is Marco Balbul, who was Assistant coach for ex-Chelsea manager Avram Grant, during his time at Partizan Belgrade. Balbul knew Medo due to his time spent at Partizan. However, now it is 90% certain that Balbul will not continue as Maccabi Haifa manager next season, so it all depends on the new manager (no official signing yet).

Maccabi Haifa are a better team than those at Championship level, so I believe Medo can contribute there. However, I will not take him as a starting midfielder for a top Championship side.

So there you have it folks, that's how Medo is doing in Israel, and to be honest, it sounds pretty similar to his time in a White shirt. Go figure.

I, once again, thank Ori for taking the time to talk to us and implore you to follow him on Twitter @CoopSport.