Liverpool slammed for baffling Lamine Camara decision as Chelsea eye Arsenal and Tottenham stars

Liverpool are reportedly prepared to wait on Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara despite their apparent shortcomings in the centre of the park.

While Liverpool have spent big on their defence and attack in particular, with Bradley Barcola joining from Paris Saint-Germain for £123million, Andoni Iraola’s midfield is arguably a cause for concern.

Following the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, club legend Jamie Carragher expressed his doubts about the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz.

He said, “I don’t believe that midfield can function with the personnel in there. For me, it doesn’t work. And it’s not just about personnel, it’s the structure the manager is asking.”

Iraola addressed this before their draw with Nottingham Forest, a game in which those midfield issues did not go away.

He said, “You don’t want to lose the offensive side, the fluidity, the arrivals with numbers, but obviously we were punished the other day, especially in the first goal. We didn’t do a proper lockdown. But there is a balance. We cannot go from one way where we send a lot of people forward to keeping everyone back so we don’t arrive with numbers.

“I don’t want to tell Ryan Gravenberch, ‘Don’t carry the ball and don’t arrive to the box’. It’s a matter of identifying the situation. You cannot be with the joystick every time (controlling) the player.

“There are players that are very good, they’re smelling, ‘OK, there is real danger, I can’t take the risk of going. Now I think I have to stay’. Recognising those situations is the job we have to do now.”

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On transfer deadline day (1 September), transfer expert Ben Jacobs revealed that Chelsea are targeting Roma’s Manu Kone if they sell Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City.

If they cannot recruit him, with Roma not keen on selling the player, their second option is Camara, who is said to be keen on a Stamford Bridge switch. All of this is contingent on whether or not Fernandez leaves Chelsea, though.

Jacobs said that Chelsea had a €45m (£38.5m) offer for Camara rejected, and are also considering Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi, and Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall.

He said on talkSPORT, “Lamine Camara, second option, player is keen on the move. Now Liverpool have looked as well, but I’m told they will not do the move this window. So Camara may be faced with a choice. Does he wait for Liverpool?

“And if Alexis Mac Allister goes in 2027, then perhaps a move to Anfield – but for now it’s Chelsea. €45m bid rejected, and yet because these deals are not done, Chelsea are now looking in the Premier League as well.

“They would love Morgan Gibbs-White. It’s not viewed as possible but there are at least two other names that I can tell you. One when I came into the studio, one that is just reaching me right now.

“The first name: Martin Zubimendi. The second name: Lucas Bergvall. So Chelsea as it stands haven’t bid for these players but they are on the list as Chelsea seek a replacement that will unlock Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City.”

Liverpool fans have reacted to this online with incredulity and baffled responses. It seems Camara is gettable and yet they are seemingly prepared to bide their time on the 22-year-old.

One commenter put, “Why the **** wouldn’t Liverpool move this window?” and another posted, “Camara, please come to Liverpool.”

“LFC are a joke. A defensive midfielder is desperately needed, ” wrote one person, and another put, “Liverpool’s current recruitment team are literally the worst. Ignore the obvious problems and spend bag load of money on areas with options.”

Incidentally, former Arsenal star Martin Keown thinks it may be a longshot for Chelsea to sign Spain international Zubimendi, who has fallen down the midfield pecking order at the club after signing last summer.

He said after Jacobs, “I can see that happening [Chelsea’s interest in Zubimendi] but the other night he comes off the bench and plays an important part, doesn’t he? So I don’t see Arsenal wanting to break that up, he’s only done one season. He played 57 matches last year, it would be a tough call to let him go.”

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