Liverpool have seen their midfield exposed on several occasions this season. Once the division’s most dynamic unit—pressing with purpose, driving play forward, winning games in the middle of the park—it has too often looked slow, predictable, and easy to play through.
The summer window presents an opportunity to address these shortcomings. Three players, in particular, stand out as the right profile for what Arne Slot’s side needs.
Lamine Camara — AS Monaco
The 22-year-old Senegalese talent has established himself as the heartbeat of Monaco’s side through his consistency, maturity, physical resilience, and ability to maintain a high tempo.
These are precisely the qualities that Liverpool’s engine room has lacked in the more difficult stretches of this season. No player wins back possession more frequently in Ligue 1 than Camara, averaging 8.01 recoveries per 90 minutes, and on the European stage, he has been covering around 11.36km per game in the Champions League—numbers that signal a midfielder built for the demands of English football.
Liverpool have tracked similar archetypes—Moises Caicedo and Aurelien Tchouameni—and consistently missed out. They cannot afford to do so again.
Adam Wharton — Crystal Palace
The England international has developed into one of the Premier League’s most composed and intelligent central midfielders, offering positional discipline and passing quality that would complement the more dynamic profiles around him at Anfield.
What makes Wharton particularly compelling is his age and trajectory. Still only 22, he has already demonstrated composure under pressure that takes most midfielders years to develop.
He reads the game exceptionally well, rarely wastes possession, and has the tenacity to win the ball back in tight spaces—a combination that would slot seamlessly into Slot’s system.
Liverpool need a midfielder who can control tempo without sacrificing intensity. Wharton does precisely that, week in and week out, for a Crystal Palace side that punches well above its weight.
Angelo Stiller — Stuttgart
Stiller has been compared to Toni Kroos for his exceptional ball distribution and tactical awareness.
Liverpool have lacked a genuine deep-lying playmaker since Fabinho’s decline, and Stiller would address that gap directly.
The concern about Stiller is whether he can adapt to the Premier League’s physicality and pace, given that he has spent his entire career in the Bundesliga.
It is a fair question, but not one that should prove prohibitive. He is technically outstanding, positionally disciplined, and at 25, entering the peak years of his career.
Liverpool do not need Stiller to press and run—they have others for that. They need him to sit, screen, and distribute with the precision that allows the players ahead of him to express themselves. On that basis, he fits the brief perfectly.
