One of the areas of the squad that Arne Slot has to look at if he stays in charge of Liverpool is the midfield heading into the summer transfer window.
The balance has not looked right in the middle of the park for the Reds in the Premier League, with the trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch not providing the same dominance that they did last term.
Mac Allister, in particular, has regressed in comparison to last term. The Argentina international has lost 55% of his ground duels and 56% of his aerial duels in 36 appearances in the league.
He has been too weak out of possession in the middle of the park for the Reds, as opposition midfielders have found it far too easy to get the better of him in duels.
It has looked like Liverpool have lacked a dominant presence at the heart of their midfield, and that they need another player like Fabinho to anchor the team.
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Fabinho was, of course, an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning team in the 2019/20 campaign with a duel success rate of 55% in 28 appearances, offering defensive qualities and strength for the German head coach.
The Reds are now reportedly interested in signing a player who could be Slot’s own version of the Brazilian star, who was signed from Monaco for £40m.
According to reports in France, Liverpool are one of the clubs eyeing up a move to sign Monaco central midfielder Lamine Camara in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that their Premier League rivals Newcastle United have already entered talks with the players’ representatives ahead of a swoop for his services.
It adds that Liverpool’s attention has been caught by those talks and that they are now ready to quickly make an offer to rival the Magpies for the Senegal international’s signature.
Foot Mercato reveals that a fee of around £44m would be enough to tempt Monaco into selling Camara, and it is now down to the Reds and Newcastle to battle it out for him this summer.
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It went pretty well the last time Liverpool signed a defensive midfielder from Monaco, as Fabinho went on to win the Premier League and the Champions League during his time on Merseyside.
Camara’s performances for the French side in the 2025/26 campaign suggest that he has the attributes to arrive at Anfield as a similar type of midfield enforcer this summer.
The 22-year-old talent, who was described as a “phenomenal” dueller by scout Ben Mattinson, has shown that he can be dominant in his duels and make constant defensive interventions to disrupt opposition attacks in the middle of the park.
|
Stat |
Fabinho (19/20 PL) |
Camara (25/26 L1) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
28 |
23 |
|
Assists |
3 |
4 |
|
Tackles per game |
2.2 |
2.3 |
|
Dribbled past per game |
1.5x |
0.8x |
|
Interceptions per game |
1.2 |
1.6 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.7 |
5.7 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
52% |
61% |
His statistics, particularly defensively, are remarkably similar to Fabinho’s from his title-winning season in the Premier League, which speaks to the quality that Camara could bring to Anfield if Slot snaps him up in the coming months.
Like the Brazilian star, the £44m-rated talent has the physicality, mobility, and awareness to be a screener in front of the back four, constantly making tackles and interceptions to win possession back for his side.
However, he is more than just a defensive midfielder. Camara has also created eight ‘big chances’ and provided four assists from the middle of the park, which shows that he can also offer quality in possession.
Meanwhile, Mac Allister has lost 55% of his duels, only made 1.4 tackles per game, and only created four ‘big chances’ for the team in the Premier League this season, suggesting that the Monaco star would offer more to the team both on and off the ball in midfield.
Liverpool need more mobility and defensive protection in their midfield, because they have conceded 52 goals in 37 league matches this season, and Camara’s form for Monaco suggests that he can provide that.
It is now down to the board to sign the Senegal international to bolster Slot’s midfield so that he can have the right tools at his disposal to turn the team’s form around in the 2026/27 campaign.
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