Liverpool won the Premier League last season, and quite remarkably at that.
Over the past decade, the Reds have gone from bad to good to great to incredible, and it’s through the defining presumption of their brilliance under Jurgen Klopp that they have been expected to compete for the biggest honours each year.
But that changed when Arne Slot arrived last summer. This relative unknown had stepped into big old boots and was expected to drift away like flotsam. He couldn’t replace Klopp: didn’t Liverpool want Xabi Alonso, anyway?
Doubt is one of the first conditions any manager is forced to deal with in the Premier League, both from outside and within, but Slot knuckled down and thrived across his maiden year as the Anfield head coach, not just winning the top-flight title but blowing the competition out of the water.
And he did it with minimal transfer investment, which is quite a thing. However, that’s all changed this summer, and FSG are still keen on bolstering Slot’s squad before the market deadline in under two weeks.
Why Liverpool need a left winger
Should Liverpool complete a statement deal for Isak this summer, the impressive Hugo Ekitike would have a tough time starting invariably from number nine.
Both strikers are men of mobility, and some would say Ekitike’s pace and dynamism lend themselves to a role on the wing. But that is not his natural berth.
In this respect, Liverpool could do with some more depth to even out any wrinkles in Slot’s title-winning team; it’s a new season, and now Liverpool are title challengers just like the rest.
Slot must not ride the coattails of his own previous success, and must instead propose to FSG a plan to complete the Merseyside frontline, even with Federico Chiesa and the Reds in harmony over a role at Anfield across the year for the Italian.
Isak’s stature and track record within the European game demand his signature being a priority, but Liverpool need a left winger all the same, with Cody Gakpo the only senior option operating naturally from the berth.
Rio Ngumoha looks like a fantastic talent, but overburdening him this year could run counter to the hopes of him reaching his ceiling. If the stars align, sporting director Richard Hughes must sign an alternative.
Liverpool ready late bid for new winger
According to Anfield Watch, Liverpool remain interested in signing Lyon winger Malick Fofana this summer, having opened a line of communication with the French club when selling Tyler Morton to them at the start of August.
In fact, it’s felt that FSG’s desire to sign a left winger is separate from the bid for Isak, and that Liverpool are ‘ready’ to strike a late deal for Fofana, having scouted him across the transfer window.
Valued at around £43m, Fofana’s signature would be attainable following the sales of forwards like Diaz and Darwin Nunez, and he would arrive primed to rival Gakpo for a starting spot on the left flank.
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What Malick Fofana would bring to Liverpool
Gakpo proved on Friday evening that he’s more than just a goalscorer. Not that he needed to prove anything following a year of meteoric progress in Slot’s Liverpool system.
But the Dutchman has his detractors, with some clamouring for a new winger like Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, whose future is up in the air and who has been linked with a move to Liverpool across the summer.
However, Rodrygo would cost something in the region of £86m, and he’d expect to start every week. In a rising prospect like Fofana, Slot would not find that problem at his desk, but rather, would be able to work with an exciting talent who could operate in flux with Gakpo.
Fofana, 20, has enjoyed a rip-roaring start to life in French football, joining Lyon from Genk when he was only 18. Last season, he scored 11 goals and supplied six more assists across 41 matches in all competitions, of which only 23 were starts.
Hailed for his “explosive” style of play by analyst Ben Mattinson, Fofana ranks among the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe over the past year for goals scored and the top 3% for progressive carries per 90, with such data presented by FBref.
Looking at this data, we can see in Fofana a talented player looking to blend his high-speed running with a natural eye for goal, and in this way, he shares some of Gakpo’s strengths but could actually end up outstripping the Netherlands star.
Matches (starts)
29 (16)
35 (23)
Goals
5
10
Assists
4
4
Shots (on target)*
1.1 (0.5)
1.6 (0.7)
Big chances missed
4
6
Pass completion
84%
84%
Big chances created
6
11
Key passes*
0.9
1.1
Dribbles*
0.8
0.9
Tackles*
1.1
0.8
Duels won*
2.9
3.1
Though Gakpo is currently more clinical and more effective, it’s promising to note that the fleet-footed Fofana has already shown signs of prolific shooting and that he is equally crisp and effective on the ball.
Given the need for depth at Liverpool this season and beyond, should Slot hope to not just defend his Premier League title but claim further silverware too, adding a player like Fofana for a shrewd figure could be a fantastic move.
He would arrive on Merseyside without the weight of expectation that certain other transfer targets would bring, but the Lyon winger could still add much to the Redmen cause, and might even nail down a starting berth on the left wing in the coming years.
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