The arrival of Jesse Marsch at Leeds United seems to have set a precedent for the summer transfer window as the club targets players that fit the Red Bull mould. Brenden Aaronson was the first through the door for around £25 million and Rasmus Kristensen wasn’t far behind, signing earlier this week for £10 million - both played under Marsch in Austria for short spells.
Takumi Minamino - who left Marsch’s Salzburg in January 2020 to move to Liverpool - has been heavily linked with a move to Elland Road, as has 21-year-old Salzburg striker Junior Adamu. RB Leipzig midfielder and American international Tyler Adams has also been mentioned - he was given his professional debut at New York Red Bulls by Marsch in 2016.
The links make sense: Leeds’ head coach has a concrete playing style which is the same as the style seen through the Red Bull system. It is why he took over at New York, it is why he was moved to Salzburg and it is why he took over from Julien Nagelsmann at Leipzig - albeit less successfully.
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What doesn’t make sense is why there hasn’t been any concrete links to another Salzburg player. Mohamed Camara is the Austrian side’s midfield lynchpin - a 22-year-old all action defensive midfielder and an ideal successor to Kalvin Phillips.
Manchester City are intensifying their interest in Leeds’ midfielder as they look to strengthen their spine. And while those in charge at Elland Road are hopeful of tying the 26-year-old down to a new contract, a reported £60 million offer could be on the way, with the allure of Champions League football too enticing for Phillips to turn down.
Should Leeds be left with no choice but to sell, a return to the negotiating table with Salzburg would be a shrewd move as the Mali international continues to attract interest from all over Europe. At just 5ft 7in the Camara is by no means a physically dominant player, but the midfielder's anticipation and speed in the tackle make him an outstanding destroyer of play.
He already possesses the intelligence and reading of the game of an experienced midfielder, and can use his pace over short distances to anticipate opposition passes and intercept. Furthermore, speed over longer distances allows Camara to cover the spaces left by attacking full-backs - another key aspect of a Marsch system.
In possession the diminutive destroyer likes to drop into the same positions Phillips has done so often, demanding the ball from his centre-backs in tight spaces and committing midfielders. It can be heart-stopping at times as the midfielder receives passes under pressure and in vulnerable positions, but a combination of tight control, composure and a low centre of gravity allow Camara to spin away from tight spaces and progress the ball forward.
He can play long, raking passes over the onrushing full-backs, but specialises in the short, line-breaking passes that March is looking for. Leeds set up during the latter part of last season so that their two ‘wide’ men - Raphinha and Jack Harrison - tucked in and made the forward unit really narrow. For this to work, the midfielders have to be able and willing to punch those passes through a midfield instead of over or around it.
He is also more than capable of carrying the ball through midfield himself and then picking the right pass in the final third - something Phillips may have lacked at Leeds so far. In these instances, the Salzburg man can commit teams and pull players out of position, opening up spaces for a killer pass.
In terms of player likeness, Camara is similar to Chelea’s N'Golo Kante or Brighton’s Moises Caicedo - all three make up for their lack of height with short speed and intelligent reading of the games, and all have the low centre of gravity to win more than their fair share of physical duels.
Camara is, understandably, being targeted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs as the next best defensive midfielder. Most notably, RB Leipzig see the 22-year-old as a successor to Konrad Laimer. Securing the midfielder’s services would require Leeds to act fast and decisively, but with Marsch clearly having an effect in bringing Red Bull players in, the club could have a chance at landing the midfielder if they do show an interest.
