Liverpool have the difficult task of replacing Mohamed Salah in the summer transfer window and club legend Steven Gerrard has had his say on who might fit the bill
Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard has discussed the challenge Liverpool are facing in replacing Mo Salah(Image: PA)
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Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has identified Bayern Munich stars Michael Olise and Luis Diaz as ideal replacements for Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian is leaving Liverpool after nine years and the club are scouring the market for options ahead of the summer transfer window opening.
Salah has 255 goals for Liverpool and will go down in history as one of the club's best ever players. His exit will leave a significant gap in Arne Slot's squad, even though his form has tailed off this season.
Liverpool spent £320million on attacking reinforcements last summer, in the form of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak, yet now find themselves needing to splash the cash for another new forward.
Diaz only left Anfield for Bayern last summer in a £65m deal, while Olise joined the German giants the year before from Crystal Palace. Gerrard has been hugely impressed by both players and sang their praises while covering Bayern's 2-1 win over Real Madrid, in which Diaz scored, on Tuesday night.
"All day long," he replied when asked on TNT Sports if he like to see Olise at Liverpool. "But the problem is, why would he leave Bayern Munich? Big club, they're challenging for the big honours, probably the strongest Bayern Munich team we've seen for a while.
"He's about to take the World Cup by storm come the summer, he looks like a really happy kid, settled… I don't think he's going anywhere. But yes, I would love him at Liverpool, and you know what? I wouldn't mind Diaz back as well."
Gerrard also discussed the subject on talkSPORT on Tuesday morning. "I think the concern, if you're trying to replace Salah, in terms of like, for like, I think there's very few out there that you can go and grab," he said.
Luis Diaz of Bayern Munich celebrates
Luis Diaz has 23 goals and 18 assists in 40 games for Bayern Munich this season(Image: Oscar J. Barroso/Getty Images)
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"Olise would be one, I would say, but I don't think he'd be available, but from experience, being around Liverpool as a player, and also since I've left, Liverpool's recruitment team will have different options, and that doesn't necessarily mean they'll look for a like-for-like.
"When we had to replace [Sadio] Mane, for example, we went for Diaz, who's slightly different, or when [Luis] Suarez has left, they've had different types of options to try and replace the players.
"But Liverpool have got a fantastic record of replacing top players that have gone before, so I've got every confidence from a recruitment point of view that they'll have different types of options, not necessarily a like-for-like.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool
Mohamed Salah is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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"One thing is for certain, they have to try and replace some kind of his goal involvement in terms of goals and assists, which is extremely difficult because he's been incredible for Liverpool for many years."
Slot made a very similar point when discussing the problem last week. "Of course we do," he said on Friday when asked if Liverpool had a plan for replacing Salah. "We are not starting to work on it now because we are constantly working on where we can improve. There is not a lot talked about this but it is 88 minutes that Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz were together on the pitch together.
"So let’s first find out and work out how that works together and that can give us so much more. It is never one player who can replace Mo. Otherwise there would be 15 or 20 Mo’s and he is one of a kind, which is why he is so special. You cannot find a Mo replacement."
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