François Kamano: 4 Things to Know About the Liverpool Target

To say Liverpool have had an underwhelming pre-season would be an understatement. While they easily saw off lower league sides Tranmere Rovers and Bradford

To say Liverpool have had an underwhelming pre-season would be an understatement. While they easily saw off lower league sides Tranmere Rovers and Bradford City, they have struggled against tougher opposition and were thrashed 3-0 by Napoli on Sunday. 

Liverpool have had to field a much weaker side in these fixtures, with several key players given an extended break due to international commitments in the summer. 

What these poor results reveal perhaps is a lack of strength in depth. There have been plenty of calls for Jurgen Klopp to spend spend spend before 8 August, although the club seem (highly) unlikely to do major business.

However, there has been some talk of one or two cheaper additions to help boost squad numbers up top and at full back, including most recently Bordeaux winger François Kamano. 

Kamano is a relative unknown in English football, so here are four things Liverpool fans should know about the exciting Guinean wide man.

He's Been a Regular in Ligue 1 Since 2014

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Still only 23, Kamano's been a regular fixture in Ligue 1 since the age of 18. He broke through with Corsican side Bastia in 2014/15, registering four goals and three assists as he helped I Turchini to finish in a solid mid-table position. 

Injuries scuppered his second season with Bastia somewhat, but he was impressive enough to catch the attention of Bordeaux, who signed him for a tiny fee of €2.5m in the summer of 2016.

He's been indispensable for the Les Girondins since, making 129 appearances for the club in three seasons, scoring 29 goals and making 14 assists. 

Kamano was near ever-present for Bordeaux in 2018/19, missing just three games over the course of the season. He made 51 total appearances, racking up an impressive 13 goals and making four assists in what was overall, a very disappointing season for Les Girondins. 

Represented Guinea at AFCON This Summer 

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Kamano has been a regular for Guinea since 2013 and has represented the Syli Nationale in two of Africa Cup of Nations finals. 

Playing alongside potential Liverpool teammate Naby Keïta, Kamano made four appearances at AFCON in Egypt this summer, scoring a solitary goal as Guinea crashed out of the competition to eventual winners Algeria in the Round of 16. 

The winger has 31 total caps for Guinea, scoring six goals. He still has a long way to go to beat Pascal Feindouno's (who coincidentally also played for Bordeaux) record of 93 caps, but it's perfectly possible. 

He Can Play Anywhere in Attack

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In what is perhaps the most important aspect to Liverpool fans, Kamano is capable of playing on both wings and as a striker. 

He played pretty much exclusively as a right winger during his Bastia days, with Kamano also occasionally playing as a striker. Since joining Bordeaux however, he has been mostly used on the left wing, and as with Bastia, occasionally deployed as a striker 

While Kamano is obviously more comfortable on the wing, the fact that he can play everywhere in attack makes him a suitable choice for being a backup option for one of Liverpool's front three. 

He's Been Linked With Clubs All Over Europe

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When you're an exciting, young player playing for, and no disrespect to Bordeaux here, a pretty average side, you're gonna be linked with a move away.

Kamano has been linked with moves to mid-table Premier League sides such as Southampton, Newcastle, Watford, Burnley and Crystal Palace in recent months, whilst he has also reportedly caught the attention of Monaco and Atlético Madrid. That's er...quite the variety of clubs.