Mo Salah’s status as an all-time Liverpool great is beyond dispute, with only four players in the club’s 132-year history surpassing his current tally of 211 goals.
However, with the Egyptian turning 32 last month and now into the final year of his £350,000-a-week contract at Anfield, discussion over his future has inevitably been rife, especially after the Reds turned down a £150m offer from the Saudi Pro League at the end of last summer’s transfer window.
In an article for the Liverpool Echo, Ian Doyle also touched upon Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk – both of whom also have deals expiring next June – but suggested that there appears to be a greater deal of concern about tying down those two players than there is for our number 11.
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The journalist wrote: “Maybe fans have reconciled themselves with the fact Salah is destined to leave at the end of the campaign, with Saudi Arabia still his most likely next destination.
“Yes, the player has shown no signs of slowing down in recent seasons but, given Salah will be 33 next summer, even his carefully-managed fitness routine cannot defy the impact of time, particularly in the intensity of the Premier League.
“That Liverpool are scouring for a wide forward this summer indicates they are also considering life after Salah, whether that be next season or the one after that. A succession plan will be required and the Reds’ recruitment team would rather be ahead of that particular curve.
“Mind you, should Salah sign another contract extension at Anfield, nobody will complain. But the signs are starting to point towards an acceptance the Egyptian King will soon abdicate his Anfield throne.”
As a Liverpool fan, it’s impossible not to adore Mo Salah for everything he’s done for the club since his arrival in 2017. A sizeable portion of his phenomenal goal tally includes decisive strikes in massive games, having netted 25 times against the two Manchester clubs.
That was also the number of goals that he struck last season as he once again finished as the Reds’ top scorer, and that’s even allowing for the subdued final few weeks that he suffered as his form nosedived in tandem with the team as a whole in April.
It’s beyond question that he remains a crucial player for LFC, although the decision as to a new contract is one which bears conflict between the obvious agony of contemplating his exit, and the pragmatism which must be considered given his age and the amount he’s currently earning.
The hope is that, as Chris Bascombe referenced in a piece for The Telegraph, Liverpool might secure a short-term contract extension for Salah with incentivised clauses rather than a lucrative deal, not only keeping him at the club but also buying more time to sign a long-term successor on the right flank.
If the Reds recruit a younger alternative for that position while the Egyptian is still at Anfield, it’d make his eventual exit somewhat easier to stomach. Before that happens, though, the idea of Arne Slot’s team without the iconic number 11 is one we’d rather not contemplate until we absolutely have to.
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