Why Liverpool Should Sign Malick Fofana

And not just to save him from playing for David Moyes' Everton.

These are strange days for Liverpool supporters. Sorting a list of transfers this summer by price puts Florian Wirtz top with Hugo Ekitike directly behind him. It will be fun to see how things work when those positions are switched on the pitch.

If - IF - the Reds complete a deal for Alexander Isak, he’ll take the top spot to have Liverpool signings filling the podium. You must win the transfer window with gold, silver and bronze, right? Money is the only measure that matters to many.

The big value business isn’t only inward. Bayern Munich are on the verge of signing Luis Díaz. Based on the price quoted, Bryan Mbeumo’s move to Manchester United will be the only costlier transfer so far this summer which didn’t involve the Reds. It will be Liverpool’s biggest value sale since Philippe Coutinho ended his career as a relevant footballer seven years ago, their second most valuable of all time.

Given Diaz’ age and contract status, it’s a customary sensible business decision by the club. He will need replacing, as with 22 goal contributions in 2024/25 he had the most productive season of his career for any club. There is a twenty-year-old Lyon winger who is reportedly of interest. The gossip rags are aflutter.

“Everton make surprise £31m offer for Chelsea and Liverpool transfer target.”

“£34.9m Liverpool Transfer Target Rejects Everton”

“Everton move ahead of Liverpool in race to sign €50m winger”

There have been conflicting claims and prices floated for Malick Fofana, the player in question. What seems clear is that both halves of Merseyside want to add him to their squads.

One thing is even clearer. This kid is far too good for Everton. There are several metrics which show why Fofana looks destined for the top of the game, not chasing punts from Jordan Pickford down by the docks.

The Belgian winger looks a reasonable approximation of Díaz when considering their ages and the strength of teams they represented. Even a basic radar highlights his greatest strength: an ability to complete progressive carries to an elite level.

Fofana averaged 6.3 per 90 minutes last season, the fifth most of anyone in Europe’s big five leagues with at least as much playing time. When you plot the figures of the players Liverpool have signed or shown interest in this summer against their squad from 2024/25, the importance of this metric immediately shines. It could prove to be the statistic which best illustrates the direction of travel the Reds will take under Arne Slot: up field with the ball at their feet.

The other point on Fofana’s radar which sticks out furthest is the one denoting progressive passes received. Some of this will be tactical choice but here’s what matters: it’s the chosen tactic because it’s effective. Liverpool get the ball to Mohamed Salah a lot because he terrifies defenders. No rocket science required.

Fofana topped Lyon’s chart for this metric even though he only played a shade over half of the possible minutes. Even if they’re not the force they once were, they still finished sixth in a top league Posting this sort of number for Paris Saint-Germain would be one thing, this is quite another.

A look across the last eight seasons of football in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain shows why. There have only been 29 instances of a player combining at least six progressive carries with receiving 11 progressive passes per 90 across at least 1,500 minutes. Only 19 different men have done it.

Fofana’s former teammate Rayan Cherki is the only player who did this when younger than he was last season. Whatever you think of the Manchester City new boy, look at some of the other players who notched these numbers at broadly the same age.

Oh, hi, Jeremie. Good to see you.

Impressive company. There’s a pair of Jeremie/ys of interest here too, as Liverpool have signed one while the other gets held up as someone who should deliver more end product following his dribbling.

Back in February, Scouted highlighted Fofana as someone who did well on a metric they called ‘Penalty Area Entries’. It combines passes and carries completed into the opposition penalty box. Progressive carries include the latter so there is some overlap. The figures remain of interest regardless.

The reported Liverpool target ranked joint-30th in the big leagues for penalty area entries per 90 last season, four places above Díaz. If we look for players no older than 21, we find Fofana keeping company with Wirtz and Yankuba Minteh. Slot clearly likes people with this in their skillset.

They don’t just carry the ball up field (as important as that is), they get it into the box. Opta’s ‘carries’ metric is also pertinent here. It records when players dribble the ball for at least five metres, then whether they shoot or set someone up.

Fofana averaged 1.36 chance creating carries per 90 last season. While not a super high average, it bettered Anthony Gordon’s (1.29) and was within touching distance of what Eberechi Eze and Mohammed Kudus offered (both 1.38). The latter has moved this summer for £54.5m, the others would cost similar or more.

There are such things as lies, damned lies and statistics. A player could carry the ball before shooting from a ridiculous location, making one metric look better despite wasting possession. Thankfully that doesn’t appear to have been the case for Fofana too often.

You’d like to see more shots on the map but they would automatically arrive thanks to playing for a more dominant team. His xG per shot of 0.12 matches what Cody Gakpo averaged in the same position last term. Interestingly, Fofana was only 1.7 possession-adjusted pressures per 90 behind the Dutchman too.

Picturing how one alternates with the other in the left forward berth is not that difficult based on a few key metrics. This is the level at which the Lyon winger belongs, not replacing Jack Harrison or Dwight McNeil.

Wherever he ends up, Malick Fofana is one to watch.