Alan Shearer has warned Liverpool fans that negotiating a contract extension for Mo Salah isn’t as simple as just giving him what he wants.
The Egyptian has less than seven months remaining on his current £350,000-per-week deal at Anfield, and while there have been indications in recent days that he could soon agree fresh terms, a renewal has been far from straightforward.
The 32-year-old’s phenomenal return of 15 goals and 12 assists already this season has left many fans and pundits imploring FSG to meet the player’s contractual desires and stave off any risk of him walking away on a free transfer next year.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live (via Daily Express), Shearer warned that a policy of blindly giving Salah ‘what he wants’ would set a dangerous precedent when it comes to future contract renewals for other players.
The Match of the Day pundit said: “When I hear people say just give him what he wants, in terms of the Salah situation, you can’t just give a player what he wants.
“One, you don’t know what he’s asking for, because he might put the club in an impossible situation if you give him what he wants. Then someone else wants to know what he’s being paid. Then the next big hitter that comes in will want and demand what he’s being paid. There has to be a balance to something.
“We don’t know what goal bonus Salah is on, so it’s a very complicated situation when you’re talking about contracts for players who are in their 30s but have been a huge part of the football club.”
Given how long it’s already taken for Salah’s future to be resolved, we don’t think there’s any fear of Liverpool being frivolous with the terms of any contract that he might be offered.
Reds fans would acknowledge that a player’s age, their existing pay and their status within the squad need to be taken into account when it comes to discussing renewals, so it was never going to be as simple as telling the 32-year-old ‘name your conditions and consider it done’.
However, if FSG were to be too cautious, they run the risk of not even being able to meet the Egyptian in the middle and potentially losing one of the greatest players in LFC’s history – one who’s still the standard bearer for his team – on a free transfer.
We get Shearer’s point about Liverpool not wanting to set a precedent which’d have other players making excessive demands further down the line, but surely the club can concede some ground in order to ensure that they retain Salah.
Hopefully all parties involved can soon reach a resolution which, whilst not being perfect, would at least satisfy everyone sufficiently to keep him at Anfield for another year or two.
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