Liverpool stand to lose so much if Mohamed Salah leaves in January after his badly-timed outburst against the club.
The Egyptian has played his way into the history books at Anfield, becoming one of the Reds’ best players of all-time.
Despite the fact he has not been at his best this season, Salah still gives Liverpool plenty on the pitch and will take some replacing both from the playing side and the personality aspect.
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What emoji best sums up your feelings on Salah’s demise at Liverpool?
Gary Lineker on Mohamed Salah
Are you sad as well, or feeling a different way? 😔
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One area in which Liverpool are certain to miss the 33-year-old is in terms of taking penalties. Salah has been their regular taker since 2018, scoring 45 of 53 spot-kicks in that time.
Should the legendary winger take his exit, however, Arne Slot will need to find a new player to designate duties to. Dominik Szoboszlai took up that mantle on Tuesday, and while the Hungarian’s name will be under consideration, Alexander Isak is likely to be the main beneficiary.
Alexander Isak should be Liverpool’s new penalty taker
Szoboszlai was an easy choice to take the Liverpool penalty after Florian Wirtz was pulled back by Alessandro Bastoni at San Siro.
The Hungarian is an expert from the spot having scored 19 out of 20 penalties during his professional career. He underlined his case with a perfect strike past Yann Sommer. Despite his clear quality, however, Szoboszlai should not be Liverpool’s permanent penalty-taker.
Alexander Isak takes a penalty during Newcastle United's Premier League match against Brighton at St James' Park.
Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images
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READ MORE: ‘Liverpool’s best player’ now named as the reason for Mohamed Salah’s ‘rage’
Having spent so much money on Isak over the summer, the Reds need him to start scoring goals. With Salah around, the Swede was never going to get the chance from 12 yards, but now that he looks set to leave, Isak can step up.
Like Szoboszlai, the 26-year-old has scored 19 penalties during his career. Having missed six, Isak’s record is not as good as his new teammate’s, but it is good enough to give him a chance.
All Isak may need to fully get going at Liverpool is the confidence of a few goals. If penalties are the way to solve that problem, then so be it.
There are other contenders, most notably Alexis Mac Allister, who has scored 12 out of 13 attempts and Cody Gakpo who has nine out of 10. Both have scored penalties for Liverpool in the past. But if Slot wants Isak to start firing, his No. 9 has to be the answer.
Who should be Liverpool’s penalty-taker if Mohamed Salah leaves?
Alexander Isak vs Dominik Szoboszlai penalty record
Dom is edging this one so far!
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What about Hugo Ekitike?
Of course, Isak is not the only new Liverpool striker arriving hungry for goals this season, and Hugo Ekitike may feel he has a claim if Salah vacates penalty duties.
However, although the Frenchman has taken penalties for Eintracht Frankfurt and Reims, his record leaves a lot to be desired.
Ekitike took five penalties for his two former clubs, scoring two and missing three. The 23-year-old also took two during his time with France U21s, with a 50 per cent success rate.
Liverpool have only had two penalty kicks all season, so when they are awarded one they need to make the most of it. Designating duties to Isak, not Ekitike is the way to do that.
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