Mohamed Salah could be about to answer the prayers of Liverpool fans after a very public contract saga.
Supporters have made their thoughts perfectly clear amid the Egyptian’s standoff with the club over recent weeks, imploring FSG to strike a deal to keep him on Merseyside beyond next season. Such has his form been recently that Salah’s predicament has even overtaken Trent Alexander-Arnold’s in terms of urgency for many.
We’ve had the 32-year-old suggesting he could be conducting his own farewell tour this season, while also claiming he is “more out than in”. Now though, it looks as though Salah could be here to stay.
According to the Sunday Mirror, Salah is on the verge of a signing a new two-year deal to keep him at Anfield until 2027. If you believe Paul Merson, that stay could even stretch to 2028, with the option of an extra year being touted.
It seems as though Liverpool has had to reach a compromise in order to keep Salah on their books. In the Mirror’s report, it’s suggested that the winger wanted a three-year deal, while FSG wasn’t keen to go beyond 12 months.
It’s a stance that Liverpool’s owners have long held with players over the age of 30. We saw it throughout James Milner’s time at the club, with the veteran midfielder’s contract seemingly up for renewal every year until his eventual departure in 2023.
In fairness, the reasoning is sound. Once a player turns 30, they are effectively past their peak – unless they’re a goalkeeper, or in some cases maybe even a defender – and deterioration is inevitable, so why tie them down to a multi-year contract?
Well, Salah provides a pretty compelling counter argument. At 32, only Virgil van Dijk is older than him in the first-team squad, yet he’s producing numbers his younger teammates would dream of recording.
Mohamed Salah has been in sensational form this season
Mohamed Salah has been in sensational form this season (Image: Getty Images)
You don’t need me to tell you this, but Salah is by far and away Liverpool’s best attacking outlet. 15 goals and 12 assists from 21 games in all competitions this season is a quite astonishing record, and it means he’s played a hand in over half of the 49 goals the Reds have scored this season.
There is perhaps no better indication of Salah’s unrelenting class than his performance at Newcastle recently. The game at St James’ Park will not go down as one of the Reds’ best this season, but their talisman was on hand to almost single-handedly earn them all three points, if not for Caoimhin Kelleher’s late mistake.
Salah has effectively given FSG no option but to abandon their principles in this case – not just because Salah is still in incredible form, but because replacing him would be near impossible, which is more than a little worrying when you consider they will have to approach finding his heir soon anyway.
For now though, Liverpool fans look like they can soon rest easy – although FSG will have to work out whether they need to make the same decision for Van Dijk.