Liverpool's Lifeline in Lamine Camara Pursuit After Chelsea Collapse
Liverpool’s quiet, uneasy summer may yet have a sting in the tail. Deadline Day shut the window, but it did not close the door on Lamine Camara.
Chelsea thought they had him. A deal with Monaco was agreed, the medical pathway cleared, the usual London optimism already bubbling. Then it fell apart at the last moment, leaving the Senegal midfielder in limbo and one of Europe’s most coveted young anchors still on the market for future windows.
That collapse has given Liverpool a clear line of sight.
A thin midfield and a familiar problem
Andoni Iraola walked into Anfield knowing one thing above all: this squad needed a defensive midfielder. He leaves the window with the same problem.
Liverpool lost a spine of experience for nothing. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté all departed on free transfers. Curtis Jones left for Inter Milan, Harvey Elliott for Valencia. Five players who knew the club inside out, gone in one summer.
The club did spend, and heavily. Bradley Barcola arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in a £123m move, the marquee signing of the window. Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo also came in to harden Iraola’s options at the back and in wider areas.
But the No 6 role? Again, untouched.
Since Fabinho’s move to Saudi Arabia in 2023, Liverpool have circled around big names in that position. Moises Caicedo, Martin Zubimendi and others have all been linked, all talked up, all ultimately left to sign or stay elsewhere. The gap has never truly been filled.
Iraola now leans on Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, teenager Trey Nyoni and Wataru Endo as his senior midfield options. Technicians, runners, creators. Not one natural destroyer in the Fabinho mould.
The early signs have underlined the issue. Liverpool have opened the season with back‑to‑back 2-2 draws, against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, with the midfield shape and protection drawing criticism. Jamie Carragher has already questioned the structure, the balance, the lack of a specialist shield in front of the defence.
The system is asking for a pivot. It still doesn’t have one.
Liverpool’s late call
Behind the scenes, though, Liverpool moved as Chelsea’s Camara deal unravelled.
Speaking on talkSPORT, GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs revealed that Anfield executives contacted Camara’s camp and Monaco late on Deadline Day.
“Liverpool Football Club made a call this evening, and more than one, to say to the camp of Lamine Camara to wait, to say to Monaco to wait, because Liverpool don’t want Camara now, they never explored it,” Jacobs said.
He stressed that Liverpool did not try to hijack Chelsea’s agreement, only to position themselves for what comes next.
“Alexis Mac Allister is still at the club, but my understanding is that Liverpool said to Monaco wait, Liverpool said to Camara wait. Liverpool didn’t interfere in the deal relating to Chelsea.
“We are saying all Liverpool did was tell Monaco and Lamine Camara to wait; if you don’t get your move… we will be back potentially in 2027.”
The message was clear. Not now. But not never.
Liverpool, who chose not to act decisively during the window, have effectively placed a marker down for a future move if Camara remains in Monaco and the market opens up again.
Why Camara fits Iraola’s blueprint
For Iraola, a player like Camara is not a luxury. He is a structural fix.
The Spaniard’s style demands intensity, aggression and constant pressure. Full-backs push, midfielders press, the team plays high and fast. Without a disciplined holding midfielder, the space behind that press yawns open, exposing centre-backs and dragging Liverpool into chaotic games.
Camara offers exactly the kind of order in the storm that system cries out for.
Monaco manager Filipe Luis did not hold back when asked about the Senegal international earlier in the summer.
“We are probably talking about one of the best midfielders in the world,” he said.
“I don’t want to talk about him too much, because I know a lot of clubs would love to have him in their squad, and he is very important to me. He has that quality on the ball, covers a lot of ground, he is truly top class! I am really happy to have him, and he is going to play a key role in the team.”
High praise, and not the kind that goes unnoticed at Europe’s elite clubs.
For Liverpool, Camara’s profile — disciplined off the ball, assured in possession, capable of covering huge distances — ticks the boxes that have remained empty since Fabinho left. He would not just plug a gap; he would reshape the way Iraola can set up his side, easing pressure on a back line still adjusting to life without Konaté and Robertson.
Chelsea’s fury, Liverpool’s opening
Chelsea’s reaction to the failed deal was one of anger and frustration. They believed they had their man, only to see the move disintegrate at the last moment. Now they must watch as another Premier League rival quietly lines up a second chance.
Liverpool did not blow the window open with a late signing. They did something subtler: they bought time and planted a seed.
If Camara stays at Monaco and the market comes back around, the Reds will be there, waiting, with a clearer path and a clearer need than ever.
The question now is simple. By the time 2027 rolls around, will Liverpool still be chasing a holding midfielder — or will this be the moment they finally fix the position that has haunted them since Fabinho walked away?
