Harry Watkinson
In demand: RB Salzburg’s Mohamed Camara
Amid interest from Leeds, Brighton and Everton, Salzburg midfielder Mo Camara has reportedly told his agent that he wants to move to the Premier League… but why are so many teams interested in him?
This article breaks down Camara’s stats from the 2021-22 campaign, when the 22-year-old made a name for himself as one of the most promising midfielders in Europe.
If one of those three teams can get him, he could prove to be an asset this season as well as a big signing for the future.
Kante-style defensive attributes
Camara’s main talents lie in his defensive abilities, with pundits likening him to N’golo Kante last season after some great performances in the Champions League… which is high praise indeed. For Salzburg, he has played the vast majority of his matches as a number six but also has experience playing as an eight or even on the wing for the Austrian champions.
The Mali international has some of the best defensive stats for his position in the Austrian Bundesliga, averaging 5.25 tackles and interceptions per match. He is an expert at breaking up opposition attacks and you can see where the Kante comparison comes from.
His work rate is outstanding too. Camara made 19 ‘pressures’ per game last season(chasing down opposing players to attempt to win the ball back). While this stat is not high in comparison to other defensive midfielders in the Austrian topflight, you must remember he has been playing in an RB Salzburg team that generally have a lot of the ball and have won the league for nine consecutive seasons.
The more significant stat when it comes to Mo’s pressing is that he is very successful in doing so. Camara made an average of 7.53 successful pressures per game last season, putting his success rate at 39.4%, which is in the top 1% of all midfielders in Europe. Given the growing popularity of high pressing in the Premier League, you can see why lots of English clubs are interested.
In total, last season Camara helped Salzburg to 14 clean sheets, so his team did not concede for 37.8% of the games he was playing. If he could bring those numbers to a Premier League side, he could have a massive impact.
Played: 37
Tackles per game: 5.25
Interceptions per game: 5.25
Blocks per game: 2
Clearances per game: 0.5
Clean sheets: 14
One of the most progressive passers in Europe
Camara is a player who never shies away from receiving the ball and very rarely gives possession away.
The Malian made 60 passes per game on average last season, the highest number of all players in the Austrian topflight. He did this with a pass success rate of 86.8% too, making him one of the most consistent ball players in the division. On top of those impressive stats, he averages over 10 progressive passes per game as well as making the second-highest number of passes into the final third in his league. Camara is simply a great player in terms of helping the ball transition between attack and defence.
Again, you must remember that Salzburg are by far the most dominant team in the Austrian Bundesliga, so this undoubtedly helps his stats; but his numbers are still impressive and suggest he could easily cope with the intensity of the Premier League.
In total, Camara only made four assists last season. This is an area he will need to try and improve if he does make the switch to the Premier League. But, at the age of 22, he certainly has the potential to do so.
Passes per game: 46.4
Pass success rate: 86.8%
Successful long balls per game: 3.6
Key passes per game: 0.4
Assists: 4
But… Camara’s shooting requires improvement
One area of Camara’s game that needs to get better though is his shooting and overall attacking play.
The Malian has scored only seven goals in four years of playing senior football, despite featuring occasionally as a winger or as a number eight. Although he can carry the ball up the pitch well, averaging 1.8 successful dribbles per match, once he gets close to the box he seems to struggle.
On average, Camara takes 0.4 shots per game which makes it more surprising he has scored so few goals throughout his career. Generally, he seems to hit the ball as hard as he can towards the goal but usually, it ends up in row Z. This lack of composure in the final third seems to be the one gap left in his game, which if he can put right, could make him one of the most effective box to box midfielders in Europe.
If reports are to be believed, Everton currently look to be the favourites to sign Camara this summer and their manager Frank Lampard could be the perfect person for the 22-year-old to develop under… after all, Lampard is arguably one of the best goalscoring midfielders of all time.
Beyond his shooting though, Camara would be a great addition to any Premier League squad, especially with his incredibly high potential for further development in the long term.
Fouls won per game: 3
Dribbles per game: 1.8
Shots per game: 0.4
Goal contributions per game: 0.14
Goals: 1
