Watford defender Hassane Kamara has revealed a contrast of emotions after he won the club's 2021-22 Player of the Season award and the team got relegated from the Premier League.
The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international, who signed for the Hornets from Nice in January, was crowned the team’s best player after finishing on top of an online vote, with goalkeeper Ben Foster finishing as runner-up while Nigeria forward Emmanuel Dennis was third.
Despite winning the award, Kamara has expressed his disappointment not to have achieved the objective of staying in the top flight with Watford.
“I think I must have done certain things wrong because we conceded many goals, but I know I produced some great performances,” Kamara told the club’s official website. “I am part of a team and sometimes I failed and wasn’t good enough.
“Sometimes, if you lose but play well, you are still disappointed.
“It’s a contrast of emotions and a mixture of feelings. Personally, I got what I wanted with more game time and some good performances. But, on the other hand, we are going down and we have lost many consecutive games.
“We are high-level players, and we are here to perform and get results. So, to go down is disturbing and problematic.”
While playing for Stade de Reims in France, the Ivorian managed to win promotion with the side after being relegated, and he now hopes the experience will also help Watford to regain Premier League status.
“I am really annoyed at the fact we are being relegated, but sometimes it helps to restructure and stabilise a club, to then go back up with a solid shape,” Kamara continued.
“With Reims, we went down and it took us two seasons to go back up, but it helped the club to grow as we finished eighth and sixth after being promoted. It can really have a positive impact to learn from our mistakes. It’s definitely an experience that can help me and the club.
“I arrived with a goal of playing a lot of games, which I did. I discovered this brilliant league with full stadiums and magnificent pitches. I have met great players and I have developed well defensively. I also understand what is required to stay in a league like this one. Not everything is to be thrown away.”
Kamara and Watford will wrap up the season when they visit Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on May 22.