Has the Egyptian King’s reign at Anfield come to an end?
In an interview with British outlet Sky Sports, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah reiterated that he is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Negotiations for renewal have stalled over the past few months, during which time Salah has taken to the public on multiple occasions in an apparent move to put pressure on club owners FSG to act. In November, Salah approached the journalist zone after Liverpool defeated Southampton to tell journalist James Pearce that as things stand, he is “more out than in.” Nearly a month later on December 23rd, Salah was asked by a journalist if there was an update on his contract, to which he simply responded “No”.
Now, Salah sat down with an interview with Sky Sports to not only reiterate that there is still no update but went as far as to say “This is my last year at the club.”
When asked if he believed it was his last year at the club, he said “So far? Yes. Into the last six months, there is no progress there, we’re far away from any progress, so we just need to wait and see.”
Despite what happens, Salah’s full focus is winning the Premier League over the Champions League this season:
“In my interviews over the last seven or eight years, I always say [I want to win the] Champions League. But this is the first time I’m saying I really want to win the Premier League with Liverpool.“
When asked why, Salah said “I have no idea. It’s probably because we didn’t celebrate the one we won in the way we wanted and also, coming back here too, it’s my last year in the club so you want to do something special for the city.”
“That was the thing in my head. We waited for that title for 30 years or so. So, to win it and it was the pandemic at that time, we didn’t really have time to celebrate it in the right way. It’s not a nice thing to do, so hopefully we can do it this year.”
Salah continues to age like a fine wine and has put up numbers this season that many are suggesting is worthy of Ballon d’Or contention, yet Salah himself would say he wouldn’t deserve it unless Liverpool has tangible trophies to show for it at the end of the season.
He currently has 30 goals + assists (g/a) so far this season, and we just now hit the halfway point. The player with the second-most g/a is Cole Palmer with 18.
To not renew Salah’s contract would be utterly foolish on Liverpool’s part. The Egyptian is hitting his prime years which feels odd, but it’s true. His numbers this season are unlike any he’s achieved before, and Liverpool has a real chance to add to their trophy collection this season thanks to this. He is not a player who can simply be replaced, and Liverpool have no Salah-like replacement other than fringe youth player Ben Doak, who is currently putting impressive performances in the Championship (English second-tier) on loan.
While colossal Liverpool center-back Virgil van Dijk is also awaiting a contract offer from the club, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold looks the most likely to depart Liverpool following heavy rumors of a Real Madrid agreement.
As things stand, Liverpool look set to admit defeat on Alexander-Arnold and attempt to retain Salah and van Dijk with contract extensions. Retaining all three would require a monstrous outlay of money, and owners FSG have a track record of a more economical approach to transfer and contract dealings.
As Salah himself said, “we will see.”
