Liverpool won the Premier League last season and they behave like it. This summer, Arne Slot’s side has taken a lot of time and more, and FSG recognizes the importance of consolidating this position of power.
With Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, who blocked his £79m move to the cusp of Merseyside, Liverpool upgraded their longing for Darwin Nunez.
Despite a lot of work being done in the summer market, there is more to be done. After all, Luis Diaz plans to move to Bayern Munich.
If he leaves, there is no doubt that the Reds will need to find their own alternative.
Liverpool’s Diaz substitute
As Diaz looks increasingly likely to leave Liverpool this summer, the likes of Real Madrid’s Rodrigo and Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon have been touted as potential replacements.
The problem with this goal is that they will cost a lot of money. Maybe it’s too steep. While Liverpool can cancel such deals and stay in books with good profits and sustainability, is it not worth it to aim for the future of a shrew lady character already so much quality in Slot’s roster?
That’s why the Reds seem ready to bid on Malick Fofana of Lyon, who has been waving in Ligue 1 for the past 18 months.
Chiesa’s sale is reported to push forward FSG’s transfer plan, while the Belgian winger has been on Liverpool’s radar for months. After the Italians set out, the Merseyers “are expected to move for the Belgians.”
Lyon is worth 20 years old to £51 million, but Liverpool Sports Director Richard Hughes will secure his signature at a cheaper fee and be cut into installments payments.
Why Liverpool signs Malick Fofana
Fofana is top talent, but he hasn’t even seen the horizon covered by his full potential. Still, in his 62 appearances with Lyon (who joined from Belgian club Genk in January 2024), he scored 15 goals and provided 7 assists.
Last semester, despite playing only 23 games in all competitions, the versatile winger scored 17 goals out of 17 goals.
There is still a long way to go, but in the long run, Fofana may even be bigger than Ekitike, who is now in a further stage of development, but Fofana has done and he has done it in the past few years and he can be the best Wideman in football in just a few years.
It is further emphasized to see how slot machines can successfully guide young talents to incredible levels. Reporter Antonio Mango has attracted the attention of Fofana’s “game-changing potential” while journalist Dev Bajwa praised his “electric” pace.
If Liverpool sells Diaz, this is the one to go. And, this doesn’t even light up Cody Gakpo, which had regular games on the left last semester, so it could ease the burden on young people like Fofana when they enter the Premier League stage.
In recent years, you just need to look at the growth of Ekitike. The 23-year-old left Reims in a £30m deal in 2022 (rejecting Newcastle United), where he lost the crowd and jumped to the Bundesliga with Frankfurt.
Ekitike’s final tenure in Ligue 1 was PSG for 2022/23, and from the periphery you may not be able to get the most accurate of his skills at that young stage in his homeland.
But the previous seasons, with Reims, made stronger comments. From this we can examine the quality of the teenage Frenchman and understand his comparison with Fofana, who was 20 in March.
|
Ligue 1 Stats -Malick Fofana vs Hugo Ekitike |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (*Every match) |
Fofana (24/25) |
Ekitike (21/22) |
|
Competition (start) |
29 (16) |
24 (15) |
|
Target |
5 |
10 |
|
Assist |
4 |
3 |
|
Shoot (on the target)* |
1.1 (0.5) |
1.3 (0.8) |
|
Missed a big opportunity |
4 |
6 |
|
Completed by |
84% |
71% |
|
Created great opportunities |
6 |
3 |
|
Key Pass* |
0.9 |
0.7 |
|
Dribble* |
0.8 |
1.0 |
|
Tackle* |
1.1 |
0.8 |
|
The duel won* |
2.9 |
4.1 |
|
Data via SOFASCORE |
||
Ekitike is a central one, but his cell phone and sports are full of energy. During his journey, the soon-to-be-Liverpool star was eliminated on the left, extending this natural favorable goal inward.
Furthermore, both are firm defensive capabilities to address with the speed of using their quality as the team’s first line of defense.
But the goal is Fofaner’s strengths, and his natural clinical edge may make him more dangerous than the three-year-old Ekitike.
Fofana’s highest-ranked midfielder and winger in last season’s top five European leagues, scored non-racing goals, while the top five in Europe scored the top 2% of every 90 goals, the highest goal for FBREF, which fully illustrates the fusion of this pace and performance.
If the ball moves at least 10 yards toward the opponent’s starting point or is taken into the free throw area, the carry is considered to be progressive.
Needless to say, Fofana will not make a transition with Diaz’s level, rather than the same level as Ekitike (they may have taken some time to adapt to the rhythm of the English game).
But despite this, Liverpool could hit gold by opposing spending something on a £100 million course in Gordon or Rodrigo, but instead spent a sharper figure on the young and talented Fofana who is eager to prove himself.
It will be a better deal in the long run, and Liverpool will enjoy the fruits of their labor, which will make the Broadway one of Europe’s most feared players.
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