Gravenberch Finished: Julian Ward Wants Lamine Camara at Liverpool

· GiveMeSport

Julian Ward has just been appointed as Liverpool's new sporting director

Liverpool confirmed the appointment of Julian Ward as the club's new sporting director on Saturday, following a big overhaul behind the scenes at Anfield in recent months.

Ward replaces Richard Hughes, after the 47-year-old left for Saudi Pro League Club Al Hilal following two-and-a-half years in the role on Merseyside. Michael Edwards, Mark Burchill and Craig McKee are some of the other key figures who have also departed Liverpool .

Ward is no stranger to the role having also held the position in the 2022-23 season, and he was responsible for some of the club's best signings in recent years during that time.

Julian Ward's Previous Liverpool Signings

- Luis Diaz: £47m - Darwin Nunez: £64m - Cody Gakpo: £37m - Fabio Carvalho: £5m - Calvin Ramsay: £4.2m - Ben Gannon-Doak: £600,000 - Alexis Mac Allister: £35m

Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister in particular have been big hits at Anfield, with the latter establishing himself as one of the club's best central midfielders in recent seasons, playing a crucial part in their 2024-25 Premier League title win.

He did that alongside Ryan Gravenberch in the middle of the park, with Dominik Szoboszlai also playing a key role in the successful campaign under Arne Slot.

Mac Allister has since come out and said he was 'very sad' after confirming that the club told him they were unable to give him a new contract, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

With a potential exit on the cards for the Argentina international next year, and with no replacement for Curtis Jones signed this summer following his move to Inter Milan, it seems a certainty that Liverpool and Ward will look to sign a new central midfielder in 2027.

According to a recent report from the Athletic, Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara is a target , with the Senegal international previously coming close to joining Chelsea on deadline day.

Chelsea agreed a deal worth £47m for Camara on deadline day and the player had completed a medical, before Monaco pulled out of a deal at the 11th hour.

According to GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs, Liverpool made a series of calls , including on deadline day, to inform the 22-year-old that he was high in their thinking for 2027, if they failed to complete a move to Chelsea.

Following his performances for Monaco, it is clear that he would be a great signing for any top Premier League club, especially if he can be signed for around £50-60m next year.

Lamine Camara (Ligue 1 - 2026-27)

- Appearances: 5 - Starts: 5 - Touches: 388 - Successful passes: 262 - Pass success %: 91.9% - Accurate long balls: 23 - Successful dribbles: 6 - Duels won: 46 - Fouls won: 11 - Defensive contributions: 38 - Tackles: 26 - Recoveries: 46

While his main strengths are defensively, Camara is emerging as an all-round midfielder who has a lot to offer, and his manager Filipe Luis hasn't held back with his praise.

> We are probably talking about one of the best midfielders in the world. > > "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.

If Ward was successful in his bid to bring him to Anfield, there would be serious question marks raised over Gravenberch's future at Liverpool.

The Dutchman only signed a new long-term contract at Liverpool in March and was a key player under Slot, but things have changed since Andoni Iraola replaced the Dutchman in the dugout.

Ryan Gravenberch is Liverpool's 13th highest-rated player this season, behind Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez (Fotmob).

Gravenberch has only started two of the club's six matches so far this season, with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai largely preferred in the club's engine room.

Even Trey Nyoni was given more minutes from the substitutes' bench than him in the win against Bournemouth last time out, and the arrival of Camara would only further affect the Dutchman's minutes in a red shirt.

Even when Gravenberch has been on the pitch he hasn't impressed, including against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup when they lost control of midfield after his introduction, and signing Camara would be the next step to his Anfield career officially being over.

Read the original

People in this story

Related