Even for £100m, Liverpool should not sell Salah to Saudi Arabia

Sam McGuire | Editor

In the eyes of many, the 2023/24 campaign was set to be Mohamed Salah’s farewell tour.

The 31-year-old striker will have just 12 months remaining on his deal when the current season comes to an end and the Saudi Pro League are seemingly determined to make him the crown jewel of their league. They huffed and puffed during the summer transfer window but weren’t able to convince the Reds to part with the prolific winger.

His departure next summer wasn’t necessarily a formality but it was difficult to see Liverpool turning down a £100 million offer. Clubs rarely get that sort of money for a soon-to-be 32-year-old heading into the final year of their contract.

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We may only be 10 games into the season but Salah has already made it abundantly clear that his powers aren’t waning. The Liverpool No11 has found the back of the net eight times in the Premier League and chipped in with a further four assists. He’s also scored twice in the Europa League.

Salah leads the way for Big Chances Created in the Premier League with nine and he’s struck up quite the partnership with Darwin Nunez. Despite adopting more of a creative role this term only Erling Haaland (11) has more goals than the three-time Golden Boot winner. The former Roma man also ranks highly for assists. His return of four can only be bettered by James Maddison (five), Ollie Watkins (five), Kieran Trippier (six) and Pedro Neto (seven).

The only Premier League match Salah failed to score or assist in this term was in the controversial defeat to Spurs. He actually did register an assist in the game too, setting up Luis Diaz for the goal that was incorrectly ruled out. Opta’s Michael Reid posted a Tweet on Sunday highlighting the fact that had that goal been given, the Liverpool forward would have another English top-flight record to his name as the first player ever to score or assist in 16 successive matches. As things stand, he shares the record of 15 with Jamie Vardy.

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None of this *gestures at Salah’s numbers this season* suggests he’s on the decline, does it?

And while you can’t use previous success as a predictor of future success, his output has remained, and still remains, consistent. There’s been a slight drop-off this season in shots per 90 which has had a direct impact on Expected Goals per 90 but he’s only posted a higher Expected Goals per Shot average (currently 0.14) in two of his six seasons on Merseyside.

There’s nothing in the data to suggest a significant decline is imminent. So why should Liverpool part ways with Salah this summer? If anything, there’s a case to be made to extend this deal, even if it is just for one more year.

The attack is clicking - only Newcastle United and Aston Villa have more goals than Liverpool this season - and the midfield, despite a huge overhaul this summer, appears to be on the same wavelength with Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo all impressing when given the opportunity. A defensive rebuild is on the cards this summer but Liverpool 2.0 under Jurgen Klopp is shaping up nicely.

Guarantees in football are hard to come by but Salah is one of them. He guarantees goals and assists. It might be a little too early for a title challenge this season, though they have started the campaign well and currently find themselves just three points off the top of the table having already had a number of difficult away matches, but there’s no reason the Reds can’t compete for everything next season if the No11 remains at Anfield.

Simply put, Salah is too good to be plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League. He’s still shining brightly in the Premier League, so why shouldn’t Liverpool look to prolong their relationship with the fleet-footed forward?