S Poddar
Mohamed Salah, one of Liverpool’s star forwards, has been accused of causing friction within the club following his record-breaking contract extension in 2022. In the summer of that year, Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah signed a deal that made him the highest-paid player in Liverpool history, securing £350,000 per week for three years. Yet, it sets up a frenzy of questions over his future at the club, with the contract set to run out in 2024.
At 32, Salah is still among the forwards who are considered the best in the world, and while there have been reports that he would want fresher challenges after his contract expires in 2025, some other rumors state that he is interested in prolonging his stay at Anfield. Sources close to the club say Salah is keen to continue playing on Merseyside, but as things stand, there has been no formal offer of a new deal from Liverpool.
The heavy amount of salary Salah commands reportedly has changed the dynamics of other contract negotiations at the club, as stars such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are said to know his wages and thus hold out for similarly lucrative deals. Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney recently weighed in on the situation, referring to how well Salah is paid.
There was talk in football that his extension rocked the boat a little bit because it was so far above everybody else that kind of made Liverpool go, ‘hold on,’ everybody else came to the forefront like ‘where’s my money?’ ” Deeney said in an interview on talkSPORT.
He believed the vast difference between the wages of Salah and the rest of his teammates could have caused friction in the squad, especially as other important players were in line for new deals.
Liverpool, one of the best-run clubs when it comes to finances, have to consider the long-term implication of offering similarly high wages to other players. While both Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk are central to the club’s future, Deeney offered an interesting perspective on who might be the hardest to replace if any of the three were to leave.
Van Dijk is not getting any younger, explained Deeney, who continued: “This sounds harsh, but in order of priority, I would have gone Salah first, Van Dijk second, then Trent. What I mean by that is you are going to need at least two players to recreate what Salah gives you, goals and assists-wise.
He went on to explain how difficult it will be to find a top centre back like Van Dijk. He added that though Liverpool have quality defenders, they are no where near the Van Dijk standard. On Alexander-Arnold, Deeney reckons that whereas changing the right-back will be challenging, this is easier compared to finding successors to Salah and Van Dijk. The topic was finally closed when the comment of the Dutch manager, Arne Slot, spoke some days ago about the unclear futures of Salah, Van Dijk, and Alexander-Arnold. He underlined that all of them should continue giving their best on the pitch, no matter what their situation is regarding their contracts. If we bring the best out of them and they perform really well, then it’s up to them if they want to sign and us if we give them a new contract,” said Slot.
He added that the coaching staff is focused on ensuring that each player is in top form, and he’s been encouraged by their early performances this season.
“Until now it’s been nothing but positive. Mo came back really strong in terms of physique, Virgil as well, Trent did the same and they brought in good performances,” Slot said of their recent game against Ipswich. It remains to be seen whether or not Salah will be offered a new contract before his deal expires next summer, but his performances on the pitch suggest he is nowhere near slowing down. The uncertainty over his future, and those of Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk, will no doubt keep Liverpool supporters on edge in the coming months. While the club plots a course through these choppy waters, the contributions of Salah both on and off the field will be crucial to their continued success.
For now, it is about the here and now, but these impending contract decisions will shape the future of this Liverpool squad for years to come.
