Forget Elliot Anderson, there's a much better midfielder for Liverpool | OneFootball

There's a much more exciting midfielder Liverpool should sign over Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton.

Everyone wants either the Crystal Palace or Nottingham Forest midfielder to end up at Anfield right now.

They are the favourites among Premier League fans because they have proven themselves in the division and they are regularly in front of the cameras.

The fact that they are English internationals is also in their favour.

But what if there is a better option for Liverpool? An option who is both a better fit and could even become a better all-round player.

Let's make it clear. Wharton and Anderson are both sensational footballers. Wharton is one of the most technically gifted English players the country has produced in the last decade. Anderson is a generational all-round player with his intensity and brilliant technical ability.

However, both of them are going to be valued at excessive prices by their respective clubs. There's talk of both players having a £100m price tag on them.

Is that really worth it?

Liverpool do need more of a progressive passer and more intensity in the middle of the park. But they also have to be mindful of their spending.

They also need to sign a winger and more centre-backs, potentially another winger is Mo Salah leaves.

Going out and spending so much money on one player doesn't make a lot of sense.

This is why Liverpool fans have to forget about Wharton and Anderson and instead turn their attention to Mamadou Sangare, who might just be a much better fit.

He's not a name that's out there on the mainstream at the moment, but the RC Lens midfielder has everything to be a superstar and his style of play is perfectly suited to the way Liverpool want to play.

The 23-year-old is high-energy and plays with a lot of intensity. He is a proper box-to-box midfielder with the stamina to run for days and the ability to carry the ball and spray brilliant cross-field passes.

But if needed he can sit back, he can control the rhythm in the middle of the park and he's excellent at breaking up play.

Sangare averages the most ground duels won (6.61 per 90 minutes) in Ligue 1 this season.

Only Jude Bellingham (6.83) averages more ground duels won than him among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.

He's also won possession more times than any other player (7.7 per 90 minutes) who has played at least 1500+ minutes in Ligue 1.

So you already get to see the picture. Sangare is a player who would offer so much in terms of being a disruptor and helping Liverpool increase their intensity - something Arne Slot's side has struggled with this season.

© IMAGO - Mamadou Sangare Liverpool

But there's more to Sangare than just being a high-intensity disruptor. He's a very technically elegant player. His first touch is always sublime and he's very good at making forward passes and carrying the ball forward.

He's comfortable in possession, including with his back to goal and he can be an asset in the build-up.

As a replacement for Mac Allister, playing him alongside Ryan Gravenberch would be a mouth-watering prospect.

Lens signed him for just €8m in the summer transfer window. They will make a huge profit on him, there is no doubt about that but they won't be demanding an excessive price like they will be for Wharton and Anderson.

That's why he should be the no.1 midfield target for the Reds because Sangare is the smart option rather than the attractive one.