Liverpool are on the brink of winning their first Premier League title in 30 years, and the supporters would be ecstatic about the fact. However, if the Merseyside club are to maintain their level of performance, they would need reinforcements and central-midfield is one position that the Kops could strengthen.
Evening Standard reports that Rennes have categorically made it clear that they would not sell Eduardo Camavinga this summer, inspite of interests by numerous clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Club president Nicolas Holveck has said in an interview to RTL that, “For Eduardo Camavinga, the project is to continue to progress at Stade Rennais.”
The prospects of Eduardo Camavinga
Although only 17-years-old, the midfielder has already played 32 league matches for his side. Graduating from the Rennes youth set up, he made his debut for the first team in 2019, being the youngest player to play for his team. At such a young age, the France U-21 has garnered a lot of interest from the top clubs of the world, and that speak volumes about the quality of the player.
Camavinga operates at the centre of the pitch and has all the attributes of a box to box midfielder. His work rate is exceptional, and more often than not, he drops deep to help his side in the defensive department. However, what really is noteworthy about the French starlet is his passing ability.
Camavinga has notched up a success rate of 87.7% of his total passes, an exceptional figure for a man of his age. His ability to pass a ball to his teammates and finding open space to receive the ball back is something that all the managers in the world would appreciate. When there is no space for him to move forward after passing the ball to someone, he can drop back a bit and time his run to perfection. This helps him get rid of his marker and orchestrate a move forward for his team.
The youngster loves to keep the ball at his feet and more often than not, this makes the opposition defenders commit fouls against him. This season he has been fouled 2.4 times per 90 minutes in the league.
Do Liverpool need him?
Club captain Jordan Henderson has been manning the central midfield duties for a long time, and it can be fairly said that he would be able to continue to be the midfield general for his team for some more years. However, it would not be an overstatement to say that Liverpool’s recent acquisition in the same slot has not lived up to the hype. Naby Keïta has had a rough start to his Liverpool days with the 25-year-old being vulnerable to frequent injuries.
Fabinho has been a decent player for the Reds, but the Brazilian’s attacking contributions have been limited. In this situation, Camavinga could be a great addition to the Anfield side, and under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp, he could turn out to be one of the best in his position. Even if the French talent does not get regular playing opportunities at the moment, he could be the man to dictate the centre of the park for Klopp’s side for years to come. However, all those dreams may now evaporate with the stand of Rennes with the Kops hoping that they would be able to crack a deal for their man soon.
Stats from Whoscored.
