At this moment, Saudi Arabia isn’t too fond of Mohamed Salah. Liverpool therefore has a great opportunity to extend the contract with the Egyptian superstar. Basically, retaining a big star like Salah is a success for Liverpool. However, Salah has actually declined significantly and with his hot-tempered nature, he could be an obstacle to the rebuilding process under new coach Arne Slot.
Liverpool wants to keep Salah
The 31-year-old forward is entering the final 12 months of his contract with Liverpool, and there are increasing rumors that he will leave. But Salah shows no signs of wanting to leave. This aligns with Liverpool’s desires, and it is predicted that he will stay at Anfield.
Last summer, Al Ittihad was very determined to pursue Salah when they were ready to make a £150 million offer. Salah was indeed tempted, but because Liverpool was determined to keep him, the deal fell through.
At the current time, Al Ittihad is also not willing to spend heavily to buy Salah. If the forward does not extend his contract with Liverpool, Al Ittihad could welcome him in 2025 when Salah is 33 years old, and there would be no transfer fee.
Salah’s future will be determined by the new sporting director, Richard Hughes, who will also have to make decisions about the futures of captain Virgil van Dijk and vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contracts expire at the same time as Salah.
These are among the issues that need to be addressed after the appointment of Arne Slot as the successor to manager Jurgen Klopp is completed.
Salah is an icon of Liverpool’s success.
Salah has just had a fiery dispute with manager Jurgen Klopp in the draw against West Ham. However, there are no hints of tension within Liverpool after the incident, and even if there were issues between them, it wouldn’t be too significant as Klopp is set to depart at the end of the season.
Salah still remains an irreplaceable pillar for Liverpool, having scored 24 goals and provided 13 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. Only 6 players have been involved in more goals than Salah in the top 5 European leagues this season.
Many still believe that Salah will score more goals than any other Liverpool forward in the upcoming season. However, it remains a gamble that could have serious repercussions.
Too much risk
If Liverpool wants to stabilize Salah’s mentality, they will need to extend his contract. Because his current contract only runs until 2025, and The Kop certainly doesn’t want to lose him for free next summer.
However, if Salah signs a new contract, he will still receive a salary equivalent to the £350,000 per week he currently earns. This would be a staggering wage for someone over 30.
Not only would it cost a lot to retain Salah, but Liverpool would also miss out on the opportunity to strengthen their squad. The summer of 2024 will be the last chance for The Kop to sell Salah for a high price. And with the money received, they could bring in a worthy replacement.
But Salah could also bring trouble to Slot’s rebuilding project at Liverpool.
It’s also worth mentioning that Liverpool’s squad needs reinforcement in positions such as center-back, defensive midfielder, or a sharper striker than Nunez. Therefore, just like the staggering amount Liverpool persuaded Barcelona to pay for Philippe Coutinho, selling Salah could greatly benefit the Reds.
There’s also the possibility that Salah could become a destabilizing factor at Anfield. Even when Klopp was in charge, Salah didn’t show much deference, so could someone new like Slot manage to rein in a star who might be inclined to rebel?
