Mohamed Salah put Liverpool firmly in the firing line by claiming the Reds have thrown him “under the bus,” making his future at Anfield immediately seem untenable. But the club are reported to still want to keep the veteran Egyptian superstar amid a “bewildering” turn of events.
Salah’s pointed—and potentially premeditated—comments in the mixed zone following a third straight game on the bench last weekend blew up. He insisted he is being scapegoated for Liverpool’s form, said he no longer has a relationship with manager Arne Slot and even went as far as claiming he doesn’t need to fight for his place in the team because of past contributions.
Salah rarely speaks to reporters but used similar tactics last season to put pressure on Liverpool over a new contract. The one he eventually signed was a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £41 million ($54.8 million), an extraordinary show of faith from a club historically unwilling to hand out massive contracts.
The Athletic has reported that the perception of Salah from other clubs and agents, including some with “direct knowledge” of Liverpool is that he either wants to force or transfer or put pressure on Slot, already feeling the heat because of the poor results this season.
The same report adds that Liverpool don’t want to have to sell Salah, despite his actions. His contract is good for another 18 months and his absence from the starting lineup was viewed as only “temporary.” But there is also a sense of “bewilderment” in the corridors of power at Anfield at the speed at which the saga has moved.
The ball is in Salah’s court and he needs to inform the club of his intentions, which may not now be at the top of priorities as he prepares to link up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, searching for—as Jamie Carragher has pointed out—his first international title.
There is at least “acknowledgement” within Liverpool that Salah’s place at the club could actually become untenable if he keeps a “hardline” stance and no resolution can be found.
Who Will Salah Join if He Leaves Liverpool?
Salah’s options for a new club seem rather limited. The obvious destination is Saudi Arabia, perhaps the only place he could hope to command a comparable—or likely far better—salary than the one he is currently paid by Liverpool.
As the face of football across North Africa and the Middle East for the best part of a decade, he would be a huge marketing coup for the Saudi Pro League, whose executives were openly keen to sign him to one of their clubs prior to committing his future to Liverpool in April.
Al Hilal, where he could reunite with friend and former teammate Darwin Núñez, or Al Ittihad, rather than Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, would be most plausible.
“Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players. For sure Salah is [a target],” SPL chief executive Omar Mugharbel confirmed just this week at the World Football Summit in Riyadh.
Lionel Messi has put renewed global focus on Major League Soccer and “strong interest” in Salah from American clubs has already been reported. It would have to be a team with an open Designated Player (DP) spot to pay him what he would ask. But Inter Miami are thought to have other plans for theirs following the retirements of Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, and the arrival of Rodrigo De Paul.
Chicago Fire is presented as more plausible contender, with San Diego FC another. The Californian club just completed their debut MLS season and, intriguingly, are owned by British-Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour.
Both the Saudi Pro League and MLS would mean leaving Europe—the highest and most competitive level of club football—behind. At 33, in good physical condition and aided by ever evolving sports science advancement to extend careers, Salah is still significantly younger than Messi (36) when he made the switch, and Ronaldo (37) when he went to Saudi Arabia.
Leaving Liverpool for another club in Europe feels challenging. He infamously once expressed interest in joining Real Madrid or Barcelona. The likelihood of the former moving for him is slim, while he would be directly competing with Lamine Yamal in Catalonia. Barcelona have had success with an ageing Robert Lewandowski in recent seasons, but the club isn’t free of financial limitations.
Paris Saint-Germain’s new strategy of looking past global superstars to prioritise team-building means that is a non-starter, while clubs in Serie A lack the resources. Were Salah to consider joining a rival Premier League club, he would fully destroy his Liverpool legacy.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Bewildered’—Liverpool’s ‘Stance’ on Mohamed Salah’s Future Revealed.