Midfielder confirms he's PERFECT for Arne Slot | OneFootball

Obviously, right now there's a lot of hype about Elliot Anderson. There's no denying he could be that type of midfielder for Liverpool. He's got a great engine on him, he's a very effective passer and he covers a lot of ground.

The only real obstacle is that he's going to cost Liverpool a lot of money. We're probably talking about the £80m to £100m price range at this moment in time.

He's an England international, Nottingham Forest are not easy to negotiate against and on top of that he's still quite young.

So, ultimately, it's easy to understand why his price would be so high.

What Hughes could do is look at the market and find the 'next Anderson' who is about to pop off and whose transfer value may not be as high.

This is where Mamadou Sangare comes in. He's an Red Bull Salzburg product, having made the move from Mali to the Austrian giants when he was 18-years-old.

You can see the influence of Red Bull in his style of play. Like Anderson, Sangare runs a lot and he's a very versatile midfielder capable of doing a lot.

What he also offers in the middle of the park is that extra bit of speed. For a midfielder, Sangare is very fast and this makes him a strong duel-winner, who can dominate opponents.

He confirmed just how good he is at the African Cup of Nations. In three games for Mali, Sangare has been the best player on the pitch twice.

In the first game against Zambia, he won the most duels (15), completed the most dribbles (6) and won the most tackles (3) while also making the most passes into the opposition's final third (16).

He followed that up with another solid performance against Morocco, winning seven of his nine duels in the match. Then there was a second Man of the Match performance against Comoros, where Sangare won the most tackles on the pitch (3) and eight out of his 12 duels, all while making nine recoveries and 13 passes into the final third.

© IMAGO - Mamadou Sangare Liverpool

It's easy to see where the comparisons can be drawn between Sangare and Anderson. They are both very dynamic and 'complete' midfielders in the sense that they can pass, carry and win defensive duels at a high volume and at a consistent basis.

Sangare's performances are only confirming this at the AFCON, but he's been doing this all season for Lens in Ligue 1.

The 23-year-old has won the most tackles in the final third (12) and made the second most recoveries (107) in Europe’s top five leagues.

He's also top five among central-midfielders for successful take-ons (18).

With Slot seeking pace and intensity in his Liverpool side, Sangare is the perfect option. He's also the sensible option. The one Hughes should be moving for over Anderson.