Anfield Watch
·17 de noviembre de 2024
Anfield Watch
·17 de noviembre de 2024
Liverpool's greatest-ever winger - Mohamed Salah - is in the final year of his contract as club negotiations have so far proved unsuccessful.
And despite starting this season in sparkling form, once again, the club risks losing him on a free transfer if new terms can't be agreed.
Since joining the club in 2017, the Egyptian king has been a revelation, breaking the Premier League goalscoring record for a season, and delivering consistent attacking numbers for each of the seven seasons beyond.
Now into what could be his last season on Merseyside, he has helped Arne Slot manufacture a remarkable start to this year's campaign, sitting at the top of the Champions League and Premier League tables, while being the first player in Europe to notch 10 goals and 10 assists.
While we all delight in Salah's brilliance on the pitch, as we have done for eight seasons as Liverpool fans, there is a lingering negative to what we're seeing.
At 32 years old, he should be slowing down as he begins to enter the twilight years of his career. But he's not and is showing no signs of doing so anytime soon.
His physical fitness is as good as it has ever been, his injury record is almost flawless, his disciplinary record is unparalleled and he continues to have defenders in the Premier League and Europe on skids.
Salah's consistency is what puts him right into the upper echelons of the game, and while that ability remains in his game, he is a keystone in this Liverpool side.
Sat on £350,000 a week, his wage is nothing but a fair reward for the world-class performances he delivers every week.
But likewise, his cost and value to the club remain a point of contention, resulting in Liverpool's owners stumbling over how best to approach the winger's contract situation. Stick or twist, the implications of their decision are huge.
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Former Everton chief, Keith Wyness, has revealed to Football Insider that he is told Salah is expected to move on.
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, he said: "Liverpool will be managing this. They’ll be having discussions with Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah in the background.
"But I’m hearing that, finally, Salah will be off to the Middle East."
Given the extreme wealth of the clubs within the Saudi Pro League, funded by the country's Public Investment Fund, the Egyptian would be likely to receive a contract with a substantial wage attached to it - one which Liverpool simply cannot match.
It would be an enormous statement for the developing league, and fans from around the world would be forced to tune in to keep an eye on one of the best players around.
In addition, Salah would be much closer to his home country where his wider family resides, and he has nothing left to prove at Liverpool, nor in Europe.
Saudi administrators have long yearned to sign the Egyptian, yet each of their approaches in recent years has been dismissed by the club. But from January 1, they will have every right to approach Salah about a potential move.
The club will continue to fight as hard as they can in contract negotiations, and this report is by no means a damning indictment on Salah's situation, but the reality is that the longer such uncertainty remains, the more likely it is that he may go on to leave.