Whatever transpires between now and the end of the season, Aston Villa’s Lamare Bogarde can be firmly filed in the successful loans category for Bristol Rovers, to the point there is a desire for Joey Barton to bring him back to the Mem next season.
Whether that’s possible lies in the hands of the Premier League club who will have a designated pathway mapped out for the 19-year-old having placed significant focus, time and resource on their loan operation over the last few years.
Since arriving in BS7 on transfer deadline day, Bogarde has made 15 appearances for the Gas, 13 as a starter, and locked down the defensive midfield position alongside Grant Ward, impressing with his ball-playing, aggression and maturity in possession in what has been his first sustained taste of senior football.
With three matches remaining - Peterborough United this Saturday followed by Shrewsbury Town and Bolton Wanderers - Bogarde speaks with affection and carries himself with greater confidence when discussing his time in north Bristol however, from a personal point of view, something continues to elude him.
For all his quality, Bogarde’s attacking ability hasn’t exactly stood out during his time in a blue and white shirt, according to Whoscored.com he’s only had two attempts at goal, but he doesn’t want to depart the club with a 0 in the goals column.
“I want to keep playing well and I still want to score my first goal,” he said this week while bearing a big smile. “Hopefully it will come in the next few games, that’s something I dream for. I don’t mind (what type of goal), I’ll take any goal.”
He did win a penalty at Oxford United for which Scott Sinclair converted but as to what he’ll need to do to break that duck, he keeps it simple with a laugh, “just… take a shot”. “It’s something I’d like to add to my game, just getting in those sort of positions, and try to add some goals.”
It’s been a rapid introduction into senior football for Bogarde who within five days of arriving in Bristol was making his debut for the club as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to MK Dons. He’s since successfully migrated into midfield and has been a mainstay at the base of that area of the team in the extended absences of Paul Coutts and Jordan Rossiter due to knee injuries.
Indeed, while still raw, Bogarde’s performances have slightly mitigated the devastating impact those injuries could have had on the overall team. It’s allowed him to enjoy a long run of games, offering him a taste of first-team football that will be hard to give up when he returns to Villa after the game against Bolton.
The physicality has been an obvious difference from academy football, but what’s stood out has been the IQ of those more experienced around him, “The players are smarter, they know when to go down for a foul,” he adds.
Having enjoyed half a season in League One, Bogarde - who cites Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Gerard Pique as his favourite players and inspirations having started his football life as a centre-back - wants more of the same, whether that be at Villa or somewhere else on loan.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next season but I’ve fully enjoyed my time here,” Bogarde added. “We’ve got three games left now and I want to end on a good high so hopefully we can get some points over these next three games.
“I’m playing more games and that was why I was brought here, I think I’m playing well. When you play games, you’re going to be more comfortable, it’s difficult when you don’t play.
“They (Aston Villa) have been watching my games and think I’m playing well so they’ve said for me to just keep playing my games and we’ll see what’s going to happen after I go back.
“The most important thing for me is that I’m playing games at the highest level. I’m still 19, so I just want to keep playing. I don’t know what’s going to happen, I might stay, I might go back but I just have to see what they want from me and go from there.”
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