EXCLUSIVE: A Reds icon believes Liverpool could rue missing out on a superstar who could've been Mo Salah's replacement
Liverpool manager Arne Slot
Liverpool manager Arne Slot is under pressure(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool's failure to recruit Antoine Semenyo could prove pivotal, according to former Reds star Jamie Redknapp. Arne Slot has been under intense pressure at Anfield and Mohamed Salah's exit from the club is expected to make the Dutch manager's job even harder next season.
The Reds were linked with Semenyo for some time, with the gifted winger viewed by many as a suitable replacement for Salah. However, Manchester City secured the forward from Bournemouth in January for £64million.
He has been a huge success for the Blues. In just 27 games, the Ghana international has scored 11 goals and registered two assists as City pulled off a League Cup and FA Cup double this season.
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The Liverpool legend has claimed that missing out could have major repercussions. He believes a talent like Semenyo could have improved the Reds next season, subsequently easing the burden on Slot.
"So there's going to be a lot of changes at Liverpool and I think we have to trust in the team to get the right players in but the right wing is obviously the key one because you need to find someone that's going to fill Mohammed Salah's boots," Redknapp exclusively told the ECHO.
Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City celebrates after he scored during the FA Cup final match between Chelsea and Manchester City
Antoine Semenyo scored the winner for Manchester City against Chelsea in the FA Cup final
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"I think Semenyo was a big loss. I think Liverpool probably had an opportunity to get him at one point. And then City jumped in, because I think he would have been a superstar at Liverpool as well. So that was a bit of a shame."
Slot has reportedly been trusted to lead Liverpool into next season by the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group. Redknapp thinks the Premier League title-winning coach needs to be backed in the transfer window but admitted the pressure on Slot will be enormous from the very first day of the new campaign.
"I think you've just got to trust the club," Redknapp added. "Arne will need a little bit of help next year, because if Liverpool don't start well, he knows the price on the ticket, the pressure will come on him very early, because of what's happened this season. And Arne knows that, but I think my feeling is he deserves a bit more respect."
Redknapp isn't oblivious to the issues surrounding the club under Slot and the anger from fans that's threatened to boil over this season. Yet he stressed that several factors, including the tragic death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, will have had a huge impact on the Reds' season.
"Liverpool fans are probably, in terms of a fan base, understand the game [really well]," he said. "For me, there's no one better and I totally get their frustration with the football this year that's been served up. It hasn't been good enough, been too slow, pedestrian but I would also say there's a lot of mitigating circumstances and I don't want to keep harping on to the start of the season.
Jamie Redknapp thinks Semenyo was a big loss for Liverpool
Jamie Redknapp thinks Semenyo was a big loss for Liverpool(Image: PA)
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"But that was very difficult for people to come into that environment. You know, you sign three or four new players and then there was obviously [the death of] Diogo Jota. And I just don't think you can underestimate how difficult that was for everybody to get to deal with because it was a teammate, somebody you loved, somebody that just won the title."
The former England midfielder has teamed up with Kellogg's, who are hosting football camps this summer, in partnership with the EFL, Manchester City, Celtic FC and Rangers FC. He believes the camps offer youngsters the opportunity to get outside and develop life skills on the pitch.
"There are kids that are just stuck indoors doing nothing and they're just scrolling their phones," he said. "And it's just it's really just not good for your brain. It's not good for your energy. It's no good for anything. So I'm a big advocate of this. And so when I got the opportunity to do it, it just felt a really cool initiative."
Jamie Redknapp has teamed up with Kellogg's to offer more than 39,000 free Kellogg's Football Camp places i*n partnership with the EFL, Manchester City, Celtic FC and Rangers FC. Parents can sign up via the QR code on selected packs or at* www.kelloggsfc.com . T&Cs apply.