Lamine Camara ‘probably affected’ by Chelsea saga but handed Monaco vice-captaincy role | OneFootball

Speaking on Wednesday, hours after the conclusion of transfer deadline day, AS Monaco manager Filipe Luís said that Lamine Camara (22) is “probably affected” by his aborted transfer to Chelsea FC.

A deal between Monaco and Chelsea was struck during the final hours of the window, only for the Principality club to renege on the deal as they instead sought to sell Folarin Balogun to Everton. An exit was necessary before the closure of the window for financial reasons. The USMNT forward’s move to Merseyside then broke down, but only after Monaco decided to retain Camara, the subject of interest from Chelsea for almost a fortnight, as revealed by the club’s CEO, Thiago Scuro, in a press conference attended by Get French Football News.

Scuro revealed that the Senegal international had asked him to facilitate a move to Stamford Bridge, with the Brazilian adding that there had been talks between the player and Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso. “As with many other players, better things will come in the future. This is not the end of the world. It’s just one possibility for a player on his level with his talent. I’m very confident that soon he will have even better options and offers than the one he had yesterday,” added Scuro.

‘All the big clubs will come for Camara’ – Luís

Camara must quickly turn the page. A meeting with Paris Saint-Germain awaits him and his Monaco teammates on Friday night. Filipe Luís has, however, admitted that the former FC Metz midfielder is “probably affected” by the saga. “Probably, with everything, there is something in his mind that is affected,” began the Monaco manager. “But, honestly, he is a special kid; he is a very special person. It is easy to work with him. The football world knows about Lamine. Other clubs are looking at him. If he just maintains [his level], it won’t just be one club – all the big clubs will come for him.“

Luís added that Camara will play against PSG. “He is 100% able to play, and he needs to play. His head needs to be where he loves, on the pitch,” said the Monaco manager. Luís also revealed that the Senegalese midfielder will be one of his vice-captains for the season, alongside Eric Dier and Lukas Hradecky. It is Denis Zakaria who wears the armband.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Monaco