First things first, let us invite you to tell a couple of recurring jokes.
Before Mohamed Salah spoke sport mail and a small number of journalists on Sunday, had stopped to speak to the print press only twice in his Liverpool career.
“Would you like two minutes, Mo?” we always ask, knowing full well that he’ll smile, wave, and keep walking.
For comparison, there’s also a joke that the Reds’ regular correspondents talk to some players more often than their own families, and certain stars are always willing to give their time and thoughts on the topic of the day.
Standing in the blustery wind and sideways rain outside Southampton’s St Mary’s as any semblance of sunlight finished their few hours of work and called it a day, journalists could be forgiven for not expecting much in the way of blockbuster quotes. .
But then, Salah walked out. “Would you like two minutes, Mo?” Was the question, waiting for the usual answer. The last time we spoke with him was in Philadelphia, where he responded ‘I’ll talk in preseason.’ It was preseason. Not only a prolific goalscorer, but also a one-liner comedian.
Mohamed Salah stated that he has not received any contract offer to stay at Liverpool
Salah shared his disappointment at the stalemate in a chat with Mail Sport and other media.
The previous time was in the bowels of West Ham’s London stadium after a fight with Jurgen Klopp. “If I speak today, there will be fire,” he said as he passed. Those eight words had more traction online than an hour-long meeting with most footballers.
So Salah knows the weight his words carry and understands how to play the game. As he walked alongside the team bus that was ready to take the players to Southampton Airport, he clearly had a premeditated message he wanted to tell the world.
It was he who asked to chat with journalists, not the usual opposite. Salah wanted to be asked about his contract and, although we’re not mind readers, it was clear he was thinking: ‘Come on guys, let’s get to the point’ as he was warmed up with some questions about the win.
After those introductory questions (in case you were wondering, he was satisfied with his two goals) sport mail Requested a contract update. “We are almost in December and I still have not received any offer to stay at the club,” he said. “I’m probably more out than in.
He added that he loved Liverpool and wanted to stay, but was disappointed by their lack of progress. His former agent, Ramy Abbas, is understood to have held talks with the club and senior Anfield sources have stressed that they were positive talks.
But Salah, as smart with his words as he was with his goals, had a game plan. He had offered a carrot to Liverpool’s top brass in September when he said this was his last year at Anfield on Sky Sports, and another with an Instagram post saying how much he loved the club.
None worked. If we take Salah at his word, there is no new deal on the table. It’s important to say at this point that there are three sides to every story and this is no different: Salah’s side, Liverpool’s point of view and, perhaps somewhere in between, the truth.
Of course, it’s only fair that Salah feels aggrieved that there is nothing on the table. He has undoubtedly been the best player in the Premier League this season (his 12 goals and 10 assists back up that claim) and he probably feels like he is being mistreated.
Salah, who scored two goals at Southampton, added that he loves the club and wants to stay
The forward has been the best player in the Premier League this year and probably feels aggrieved
But his comments have set off deafening alarm bells that have filtered through the club and its fans.
What is also clear, however, is that the Egyptian used the media to send a message to Liverpool and should have set off alarm bells on Merseyside but also in Boston, the home of the owners of the Fenway Sports Group, this morning .
It certainly sent deafening alarm bells filtering through the fanbase. “I imagine it will be a good morning for you,” read a text message from a friend who supports Liverpool. “Thanks for ruining mine in the process.”
Another remembered sport mail from an article we published a fortnight ago weighing the similarities between Salah and Mookie Betts, the baseball player who was allowed to leave the Boston Red Sox by FSG, which also owns the American giants.
Betts was their star man, the highest-paid player, and he wanted to stay, as he later confirmed. But no contract came, so he sailed off into the sunset and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he won two World Series championships.
Salah is Liverpool’s best player, the one who earns the most and wants to stay. The parallels are hard to ignore. FSG head of football Michael Edwards has a long-standing policy of not extending deals for aging players, but this player surely represents a reason for exemption.
Clearly, Salah’s words have sent shockwaves across the football world, from teammates waiting on the bus (who were said to have been shocked to see him approach journalists) to TV networks in Egypt covering 24 hours a day. in its largest export.
Sources close to the club have insisted they never expected a quick conclusion to any contractual agreement given Salah’s status at the club. But the fact that it is in its final six months with no resolution in sight is cause for widespread concern.