Liverpool fans’ glee at today’s win over Manchester United may well have been tempered by Mo Salah strongly hinting that this could be his final season with the Reds.
The Egyptian stated after the final whistle that “it’s my last year in the club”, adding that the Anfield hierarchy haven’t yet discussed the matter of his contract – which expires next summer – with him and that he will ‘see at the end of the season’ what comes next.
Daniel Sturridge and Roy Keane were on punditry duty for Sky Sports when they heard the 32-year-old’s on-air declaration, and the former was understandaly keen for our number 11 to stay on beyond June 2025.
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The ex-Liverpool striker said: “I would be surprised [if they let him go]. Mo has achieved pretty much everything he could at the club but I’ve not seen him happier.
“The way he was speaking then was as if, ‘I want to be at the club’. If the club are going to give him what he wants then he’ll stay. I really hope he does stay because he’s been magnificent.”
Keane chimed in: “He’s in control of [his contract]. I know clubs have policies about letting players’ contracts run down when they get to 31, 32, but he’ll decide what he wants to do. They’ll obviously have to offer him a contract – he’s their main player. Put it this way: he will have plenty of options.”
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Salah’s candid post-match admission has well and truly catapulted the subject of his Liverpool future into the spotlight, and Reds fans might now be genuinely concerned that he will be off to pastured new at the end of the season.
The 32-year-old made it three goals in as many games to start the campaign with his 15th strike in 16 appearances against United this afternoon, and the manner in which he’s come back from his summer break suggests that he could enjoy another free-scoring year at Anfield.
As Sturridge floated, perhaps the Egyptian’s post-match comments were a veiled warning towards the LFC hierarchy that he wants to stay on Merseyside, but that they need to do more to accelerate the process and get his contract sorted.
Keane is also right in saying that, if this indeed is Salah’s final season at Liverpool, there’ll be no shortage of suitors waiting to pick up one of the world’s elite forwards.
Now that the transfer window has closed, Richard Hughes’ main focus needs to be trained on extending the 32-year-old’s deal, along with those of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, who are also set to become free agents next June.
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