Empire of the Kop
·25 November 2024
Empire of the Kop
·25 November 2024
Mo Salah has rocked Liverpool fans with his latest comments on the chances of signing a new contract at the club but all may not be as it seems.
Writing for The Athletic, James Pearce stated: ‘It’s inconceivable that the ongoing dialogue between sporting director Richard Hughes and Salah’s representative Ramy Abbas hasn’t involved positioning and expectation setting by both sides.
‘Negotiations essentially involve terms being discussed verbally, which usually leads to the issuing of a formal offer.
‘Salah is adamant that hasn’t happened yet and Liverpool, whose decision-makers do not want to add fuel to the fire or make the process adversarial, haven’t confirmed or denied that’s the case.
‘Senior Anfield figures, who remain anonymous to protect relationships, have insisted that contact with Abbas has been positive and is ongoing.
‘Salah’s status as the club’s highest-paid player (his deal is worth around £350,000/$440,000 per week plus bonuses) and Liverpool’s need to continue planning for the future means this was always going to be a complex renewal with a swift resolution unlikely.’
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
This should then offer some consolation to any supporters who may have taken the Egyptian’s comments as a signal that his time on Merseyside was set to come to an end.
Whilst this may be the case, for it to be stated as ‘inconceivable’ that nothing has been discussed between the player’s representatives and the club does seem reassuring.
Although negotiation may be well off at present, Richard Hughes et al would surely feel in a strong position for these conversations to take place.
Add on the great start made by Arne Slot, all three of the players whose contracts are nearing an end would be narrow-sighted to want to leave Anfield at this stage.
Let’s hope that as our Egyptian King keeps scoring on the pitch, our owners and those in charge of sorting these new deals can succeed off it with a deal being agreed quickly.
We can only sit back, cross our fingers and hope the good feeling on the pitch can be transferred off it.