It is the curious case of Mohamed Salah: super forward, talisman, legend, but the Egyptian king of Liverpool, on the bench on Sunday, does not get younger. Get paid or move on? Walking along the banks of the River Thames through Bishop’s Park on the way to Fulham on Sunday, one fan was heard asking: “Do you think they think it’s time to cash in on Mo?”
The conversation began after Salah, 31, rested (or retired if you want to see the glass half empty) from Liverpool’s XI at Craven Cottage. While it may seem like a ridiculous debate, it is a topic of conversation that has haunted pub chatter all season.
Soon the Salah conundrum will have to be a topic addressed by the top brass at Anfield and Boston, including new sporting director Richard Hughes and returning football chief executive Michael Edwards. With only one year left on his contract, the forward’s future needs a solution.
For most fans, it’s probably an easy fix. Why on earth would you sell your talisman? Why would you leave out a man who, despite injuries this season, is still the leading scorer and leading assist player? Why would you let go of your most marketable asset?
There is also the argument that, as in the curious case of Benjamin Button mentioned above, Salah respects his body in a way that could see him follow Cristiano Ronaldo and company playing at the highest level until he is 30, which would give him another chance. . approximately five years.
Liverpool could have their best chance of receiving a huge sum for Mohamed Salah this summer
The Reds forward takes care of his body in a way that could see him play until he is 30 like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The forward continues to be his team’s top scorer and assist scorer and the Reds’ best player.
But speaking of Ronaldo, it brings us to the elephant in the room: Saudi Arabia and £150 million. In the crazy world of transfer carts and Chelsea throwing around £100m like loose change, it feels necessary to emphasize how much money £150m is.
This point is reinforced by the fact that Salah will turn 32 at the start of next season. Mail Sport reported in early August how the Saudis were preparing a stunning offer for Salah last summer. It was met with laughter and vitriol, although the reaction might be different a year later.
That offer took some time to prepare and did not arrive until the final days of the transfer window. Liverpool sources had been blunt throughout the summer in their response: Salah is not for sale. And with no time to find a replacement, that was also the response Al Ittihad received.
But what would the Reds do if they received a £150m offer in their inbox in, say, June? For that money, they could get two or three top quality players and begin a rebuild in every sense of the word at Anfield, with a completely new coaching team when Jurgen Klopp leaves.
It would be ridiculous to say that the goals have dried up for Salah, although it may seem that way in recent weeks. He is the only player in Liverpool history to have scored more than 20 goals in seven consecutive seasons and has added 24 goals and 13 assists this season.
Despite missing much of the season when he was out of the African Cup of Nations and then suffering an injury there, the Egyptian has made a stellar comeback that is the envy of Europe and is still just three goals behind Cole Palmer and Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
In 2024, however, performances have not lived up to the very high standards it has set for itself. Obviously his injury, which forced him to abandon an international camp and have to manage his minutes, has had a great influence on this.
Salah’s signature goal – cutting in from the right and shooting laterally into the far corner with his left foot – has been seen infrequently this season, with the attempt often going wide or over the crossbar.
Ryan Gravenberch’s sumptuous strike at Fulham was Liverpool’s first goal from open play after four and a half games without scoring. The lack of clinical is definitely not a problem exclusive to Salah, as Darwin Núñez, Luis DÃaz and Cody Gakpo are also guilty of not taking big risks.
Saudi Pro League linked with big bid for Salah in final summer window
The money obtained from the sale of the Egyptian legend could help fill the gaps in the Reds’ squad
The Reds will lose Jurgen Klopp this summer after his nine years in charge at Anfield.
Fans have argued that Diogo Jota is the most naturally talented finisher at the club and there was little doubt the Portuguese striker would score when he netted Liverpool’s third goal on Sunday, but the 27-year-old will now miss the next fortnight. . with a minor injury.
It is a blow for Klopp, who now has no choice but to call up Salah for the Merseyside Derby, his latest flutter in a match that, at Goodison Park at least, has often been frustrating during the German’s time in England.
With the turmoil at Anfield on an increasing scale this summer (Klopp will be followed by mass departures of his trusted lieutenants), the Salah conundrum is a big problem that needs solving, along with the Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk deals. which will also end in 2025.
It would be difficult to turn down a seismic fee from the Saudis, especially considering the quality of players who could be signed with the proceeds. But all of that is countered quite easily when you note that Salah is still Liverpool’s go-to man for scoring goals. It is a decision to shape the next era.