Lamine Camara: Chelsea’s £47m Midfield Signing Could Be Their Most Important Yet
Ben McAleer
Everton’s inability to sign Folarin Balogun worked in Chelsea’s favour. The Toffees were on the cusp of landing the USMNT striker, who ultimately failed his medical to rule out a deadline day switch to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
As such, Balogun will ply his trade with French side Monaco for at least the remainder of the year. The Ligue 1 outfit, though, had to make a sale before the summer transfer window closed. And that’s why Everton’s inability to wrap up a move for the striker benefitted Chelsea.
The Blues needed a midfielder before the window slammed shut. The west London side risked seeing out 2026 a player short owing to Enzo Fernandez’s impending move to Manchester City.
Chelsea had a number of central midfield targets on September 1st. Roma’s Manu Kone was one. A mystery man - Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White, take your pick - was another. They are now closing in on the signing of Lamine Camara from Monaco.
Fortune favoured the Blues
Their need for another body in the middle of the park was magnified in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Brighton. Xabi Alonso was forced into a midfield partnership of full-back Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia. Moises Caicedo was introduced in the second half against the Seagulls, only to come off with eight minutes of normal time to play.
The Ecuadorian looked visibly upset upon his withdrawal, increasing the need to bring in a central midfielder. And they’ve since agreed a deal to bring Camara to Stamford Bridge.
Monaco had reportedly slapped a €70m price tag on the 22-year-old. That’s since dropped to €55m with Chelsea now closing in on the deadline day capture of the Senegal international.
Camara is widely considered the perfect hybrid between a number six and a number eight. The youngster is a handy ball winner, and displays an aggressive nature out of possession superbly. He combines this with a forward-thinking mentality that has helped boost his profile on the continent.
Defensive work key
And with head coach Xabi Alonso utilising a three-man backline, Camara’s skillset should make the capital side tick. Not only does Camara have experience of playing in such a setup from his time with Monaco last season, but his ability to seamlessly match two styles of play should allow Chelsea’s attacking stars to flourish.
Indeed, he averaged 2.7 tackles per 90 in Ligue 1 last season. Granted, Monaco boasted one of the worst defensive records in France’s top tier last term, shipping 54 goals, but that figure would have been higher without Camara shining in a key area. Across Monaco’s opening two matches this season, he’s managed 13 tackles, more than any other player in the division.
The defensive resolve will allow the wing-backs to bombard upfield, safe in the knowledge they’ll have Camara to mop up and make up the yards in pursuit of possession. Crucially, Camara’s effective work off the ball grants their impressive forward line of Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer the freedom to wreak havoc in the final third.
The trio have scored five of Chelsea’s seven league goals between them in the opening two games of the season. And Rogers, Pedro and Palmer stand to benefit from Camara’s impact on the ball just as much as they will off it.
An effective progressive midfielder
While he’s started just 24 of 36 league matches since the start of last season, Camara ranks third for forward passes (368) of all Monaco players. Over the same period, he’s second for chances created (37). 14 of those were from deadball situations, more than any other teammate. No Monaco player has created more big chances than the youngster (8) for the French giants. Is there anything he can’t do?
So, not only will Camara’s defensive diligence allow the Chelsea attacking trident to put teams to the sword as he takes the off-ball duties off their hands. He’ll be another man to provide the ammunition to the attack.
In what has been a hectic summer for Chelsea off the pitch, spending big to sign the likes of Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Marcos Palestra, all the while adding experience to the squad in the form of Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, Camara’s addition could prove the most important of them all.
He future-proofs a key position, and one that needed investment on the back of Fernandez’s big-money switch to the Etihad Stadium. It’s feasible to suggest that Chelsea have upgraded in the middle of the park by switching out the Argentine for Camara.
It was a stroke of luck that Chelsea were able to agree a fee with Monaco for Camara. Balogun’s failed medical opened a door that many suspected was closed. The Senegalese star should prove an immediate hit among supporters.
