OFF THE BENCH: Liverpool star Mo Salah at Sunderland, above, ahead of Saturday's clash against Leeds United at Elland Road.placeholder image
OFF THE BENCH: Liverpool star Mo Salah at Sunderland, above, ahead of Saturday's clash against Leeds United at Elland Road. | Getty Images
Liverpool will have been preparing for life after Mohamed Salah for a while, is there only one player who Richard Hughes should be considering?
Liverpool’s recruitment team have almost been working with a blank cheque since the summer and the January window could see another big outlay.
It won’t be anything near the £400m+ spend that was made to bring players like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz to Anfield, but the transfer rumours suggest that the transfer fund isn’t quite entirely empty.
With the age profile of the squad improving, Arne Slot is only a couple of players away from having the sort of squad that could grow together over the next five years or more in a similar fashion to the era that still sees Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Mohamed Salah play hundreds of games together.
Who Liverpool should sign to replace Salah
Robertson’s long-term successor has been identified, as has Alisson’s with Giovanni Leoni having the sort of profile that suggests he could be every bit as dominant as the skipper one day.
That he strolled his debut suggests that there is a lot more to come from the Italian once he recovers from injury. What hasn’t been found is a player who can one day step into the shoes of Salah.
Despite signing a new contract at the end of last season, the recent fall-out and his place on the bench over the last few games could be the beginning of the end as reports suggest the Saudi Pro League dealmakers are considering making a move.
Replacing Salah isn’t quite impossible, but if Richard Hughes is serious then there is only one place that the Liverpool recruitment chief should be looking. There are few right-wingers across Europe who are more productive in terms of numbers and who has proven that he can be a difference maker in the Premier League.
Former Crystal Palace maverick Michael Olise has been in free-scoring form this season. Olise is right up there alongside Yamine Lamal, Vinicius Jnr and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in terms of the most deadly wingers in Europe and he could replace Salah.
Do Liverpool have a chance of signing Olise?
Liverpool have been mentioned as keen observers of Olise and selling Salah to the Saudi Pro League could make a sizeable dent into what would be a sizeable transfer fee for the France international. Speaking earlier this month, TEAMtalk’s transfer journalist Graeme Bailey has suggested that the former Palace man would entertain returning to the Premier League: “Michael knows there is interest from around Europe. As it stands, there is no hurry for him to come back to England, but it is not an avenue he would discount.
“He is loving life at Bayern Munich as it stands. His game has gone to the next level in Germany and playing with Harry Kane. To get him out of Bayern, it is going to take one of the world’s top clubs to put together a massive deal to land him.”
If Liverpool want to compete at the sharp end of the Champions League, they need players who can produce at that level for the next five years and beyond, few are better than Olise and he would get into every team in Europe. That he would consider a move to Anfield makes it an even easier decision.
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