PANUTCHE CAMARA (aka PEREIRA CAMARA)

Full Name: Panutche Amadu Camara

Born: 28 February 1997

Came from: Crawley Town   Went to: Ipswich Town

First game: 05 September 2020   Last game: 18 April 2022

Appearances: 95 (82/13)   Goals: 10

The 6' 1" attacking midfielder became Ryan Lowe's fourth summer signing of the 2020 pre-season transfer window after declining an offer to extend his contract at Crawley Town.

Originally from Guinea-Bissau in western Africa, Camara (strictly Camará) began his football in England with the Barnsley under-23 set-up. In early 2017 he moved to south London to join Dulwich Hamlet in the seventh tier of English football, where his performances in a short stay (four goals in 15 games), impressed scouts from Crawley Town. The 20-year-old duly signed for the League Two club at the end of June 2017 and made an instant impact by scoring a screamer on his debut, against Birmingham City in the EFL Cup. His physicality, power and work-rate soon made him a firm favourite at the People’s Pension Stadium, where he played 118 times over the following three seasons.

At the end of the 2019-20 campaign, cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Camara turned down the offer of a new contract with the Red Devils to head west for Home Park, despite keen interest from several League One clubs.

Becoming a firm fans' favourite with his rangy runs and long-legged tackling, he spent two seasons at Home Park and also won his first international honours whilst with the club. He was named in Guinea-Bissau's 24-man squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and made his debut for them in a 0-0 tie with Sudan in January 2022, and scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Equatorial Guinea two months later.

Argyle exercised their option to extend Camara's contract at the end of the 2021-22 season, but he showed no interest in a new deal and instead signed for Ipswich Town in September 2022 on a two-year deal for a fee reported to be around £500,000.

Having initially been sidelined with a groin injury early in the new season, he made his Ipswich debut as a half-time substitute in an EFL Trophy defeat at Cambridge United in October 2022. His debut goal came as a substitute in an FA Cup first round tie at Bracknell Town a month later. In December 2022, Camara underwent surgery on the groin injury that had hampered him that season, ruling him out of action for a number of months. In total, he made four appearances during his injury-hindered first season at Ipswich, scoring once.

Following the Tractor Boys' promotion to the Championship, his chances were further limited and in July 2023, Camara joined League One Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan for the 2023-24 campaign. After eight appearances early on, he suffered a foot injury that ruled him out for several months.

Returning to the first team after injury, he added a smattering of appearances, taking his Charlton total to 12, but returned to Ipswich at the end of the season, only to be released. In August 2024, he returned to his first club, Crawley Town, signing a two-year deal.