Wonderkid winger is Arne Slot's DREAM and Liverpool want him | OneFootball

Liverpool are in the market for a winger and he's Arne Slot's dream. The Reds could do their boss a massive favour.

Liverpool won the Premier League last season in Arne Slot's first season in charge. What's truly remarkable about that is how the Reds made zero effort to give him a group of players that actually fit him.

This was simply Slot making do with a group that sort of matched his playing style but not totally. He never found a striker that worked for him. It's difficult to believe the full-backs played the way he wanted, either, given who's arriving this summer.

The midfield was literally just a case of betting on Ryan Gravenberch to be a different player. Somehow that actually worked.

What's really interesting, though, is that the wingers weren't Slot's typical idea of wingers, either. And those wide players were unquestionably the high point of the team.

Liverpool, of course, know this. And it appears they've got their eyes on the next generation of wingers and one who fits Slot's ideas like a glove.

Liverpool chase Malick Fofana

L'Équipe reports that Liverpool want Malick Fofana. They've held talks with his agents over a potential transfer.

That's an interesting one as it points to a possible exit on the left flank this summer. But it also shows that Liverpool are interested in finding players who suit Slot's ideas a bit more.

One of the hallmarks of Slot's Feyenoord side was the way wingers would drive the ball forward. That's something Liverpool lacked last season, even with all their success. A 'progressive carry' is a run with the ball either into the penalty area or 10 yards further forward than the team has been in their last six passes. It's a way of measuring who can break forward with the ball at their feet, upset defences and get the team pushing on. Fofana has averaged 6.72 progressive carries per 90 minutes over the last year. That's a brilliant number and one that's well above anything at Liverpool.

Conor Bradley actually led the Reds in this stat for the Premier League last season with 4.17. Then came Mo Salah at 4.11 and Luis Diaz at 4.04. No one else averaged three.

But for a real comparison, we can look at Slot's final season at Feyenoord. Yankuba Minteh, then on loan from Newcastle United and now at Brighton, averaged 7.84 per 90. Luka Ivanusec averaged 4.26, again above anyone at Liverpool. Go back a season to Slot's Eredivisie-winning campaign and there were five players averaging above anything put out at Anfield last season. Fofana, then, is an attempt to give Slot what he wants and rebuild the squad in his image. We imagine Florian Wirtz (4.6 over the last year) and Jeremie Frimpong (4.11) will do similar. And isn't that exciting? We've seen what Slot can deliver with a makeshift squad and it's the Premier League title.