Why Liverpool cannot simply copy and paste ligue 1 numbers

How league-conversion models can help us evaluate players such as Bradley Barcola and Lamine Camara

Liverpool’s agreement in principle for Bradley Barcola, alongside reported interest in Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, points towards an increased willingness to recruit from the French market.

Both players possess exciting statistical profiles. Barcola offers carrying, directness and attacking output, while Camara combines progressive passing, progressive carrying and chance creation from midfield.

However, identifying strong numbers is only the first stage of recruitment analysis.

The more important question is whether those numbers will translate to the Premier League.

A player ranking in the 90th percentile in France cannot automatically be treated as a 90th-percentile Premier League player. The opponents change, the available space changes and the speed at which decisions must be made changes.

Liverpool would not simply be purchasing Barcola or Camara’s current output. They would be purchasing a projection of what that output might become in England.

That is where league conversion becomes important.