Malick Fofana: Speed, Skill and the Future Wide Option for Liverpool?
A quick, technical winger with serious upside
Lyon’s Malick Fofana looks like the type of player Liverpool would never have touched a few years ago. Too light, too raw, not enough end product. But football has changed, and so have Liverpool.
Fofana is quick, aggressive and direct, with a knack for creating chances out of nothing. He’s not chaotic like Nunez; he’s controlled at pace. The kind of winger who slows play down just long enough to burn you when you hesitate. He is comfortable going inside or out, able to use his weaker foot without thinking twice, and not just for show. He stretches play, creates overloads and forces defenders to commit in ways that open the game up for others.
The numbers don’t blow you away. Five goals, four assists, decent xG and xA per 90, but it’s the eye test that sticks. His dribbling is fearless, his movement sharp, and he creates chances that better teammates would finish. You can’t leave him alone on the flank or he’ll turn and go. The ball sticks to him, and he’s the first to chase it down when it doesn't.
He’s not a starter yet. Not ahead of Salah, and maybe not even if Diaz stays. But if Liverpool are reshaping the squad to be younger, faster and more technical, he fits the mould. Slot wants wide players who can run, press and break lines. Fofana ticks those boxes. There’s risk in the price, yes, but he offers something different.
Call him a project if you like, but it’s one worth backing.