Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the ideal replacement for Mohamed Salah, according to one former Liverpool striker
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain(Image: Nicolas Gaudin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
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Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the ideal replacement for Mohamed Salah should the Egypt superstar leave this summer.
Salah will be into the final year of his contract at the end of the season and scored his most recent Premier League goal on November 1 when the Reds beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Anfield.
The No.11, who is the third all-time scorer in the club's history, has just seven goals across all competitions, which is the lowest of any of his nine seasons at this stage of the campaign.
And with Salah set to turn 34 in June, speculation has persisted over interest from the Saudi Pro League.
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If Liverpool do cash in on a player who has been the Reds' leading marksman every year since 2018, Heskey, who was part of the Gerard Houllier squad that won the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup in 2001, thinks PSG's Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia is the player the club should recruit.
"I remember someone asking me a few years back: 'Would you have liked to play with Mohamed Salah?' I said probably not," Heskey told OLBG.
"I'd probably prefer to play with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] because I know he's going to cross the ball for me. Mo's not going to cross. Mo wants to score goals. We’ve gone from wingers who want to provide to wingers who want to score goals.
"If we’re talking about replacing Mohamed Salah and I think as fans you've got to look at something different because you can't replace Mo Salah.
"I remember one season I was speaking to someone who said Mo's had a bad season. He'd scored 25 goals. I'd love to have had that bad of a season! We're talking about someone scoring 20 plus, nearly 30 goals a season for 10 years.
"I think we've just got to look at something different and it might not suit the manager anyway to have someone like Mo Salah. He might want to change the formation.
"I know that he was talking about a 4-4-2 diamond midfield and not having high and wide wingers and that would need something different. I don't think you can replace Mo Salah but I do like the lad from PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He would be my go-to."
Heskey added: "Would Jarrod Bowen be a downgrade from Mohamed Salah?
"I think most players are a downgrade compared to Salah but to be honest with you, Bowen is a different type of player and he would probably help the formation because he’s going to work a little bit harder than Mo.
"I'm not saying Mo doesn't work hard but Bowen has a different work rate and work ethic because he's coming from West Ham and before that the lower leagues. It’s totally different."
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