Mohamed Salah

[joe_fishfish]

13 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

I think our set up is perfect for Trent, probably moreso than Salah.

 

Indeed. If Trent was playing under a more restrictive manager he'd either be put into midfield or have half his game curtailed. There's not many managers out there who'd try and get a 20 year old academy kid to become the team's playmaker from right back. Even fewer who could actually pull it off.

 

For me, all the rest of our defence would look great anywhere. Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, as well. The only other player we've had recently who'd look a bit mismanaged under anyone except Klopp would have been Firmino for me - that heavy pressing false nine was tailor made for him - but he's regressed to the point where he's not that special any more anyway.

[Redder Lurtz]

8 hours ago, Barrington Womble said:

surely if PSG lose mbappe in the summer they will be desperate to make a statement signing?

And with 12 months left on his contract they'd get salah for 50 mil 

[Chairman Meow]

2 hours ago, Butch said:

gives more than 100% each game 

 

 

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, Redder Lurtz said:

And with 12 months left on his contract they'd get salah for 50 mil 

Nah, I reckon we'd get more than that just because it's them. 

[luxury_scruff]

Jurgen Klopp backs Mohamed Salah to remain world class into his mid-30s

Salah had put pressure on Liverpool by claiming in an interview he is 'not asking for crazy stuff' in contract talks

Mike McGrath 12 January 2022 • 2:09pm

 

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is certain Mohamed Salah’s peak years will extend into his mid-30s as he reiterated his confidence the Anfield contract saga will be successfully resolved.

 

Salah raised more questions about his long-term future in an interview earlier this week, suggesting his wage demands are not ‘crazy’.

 

Ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg with Arsenal, Klopp said he was positive that Salah will eventually extend his terms. “First of all, nowadays I think it’s really dangerous to talk about interviews when you didn’t speak to the player yourself,” said Klopp.

“There was nothing in it that would be unexpected. We know, I know, that Mo wants to stay. We want him to stay. That’s the point where we are. These things take time, I can’t change that, sorry. But I think it is all in a good place.

“I am very positive about it. I’m pretty sure the fans are not as nervous as you (the media) are! They know the club, know the people here who are dealing with things, so there are, I think, enough reasons for being pretty positive. As long as it’s not done, we cannot say anything about it. ‘Good conversations’ - that’s what I could say.”

 

Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, have critical decisions to make on the contracts of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, whose deals all run until the summer of 2023. That has been the background to prolonged negotiations for a board which is determined the club must live within its means with transfer fees and salaries.

The fact Salah turns 30 in June would ordinarily be a key factor in talks, too. There is a recent history in the Premier League of superstar players being handed their most lavish deals just as their peak years are over, and subsequently becoming a financial burden.

 

It is understood the Egyptian is hoping to be paid in the region of £400,000 a week, similar to Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.

 

But Salah’s case for a new deal was assisted by his manager emphatically backing the opinion his striker will mirror Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, whose productivity has been of an elite standard throughout their 30s.

 

“Yes. Yes, I think so. It's his character, his determination, the way he trains, his attitude, work-rate. It's incredible,” said Klopp.

 

“He is the first in, last out, doing the right stuff. You can do some not-so-good things when you spend so long in the gym and the training ground, but he knows his body, he knows what to do. He listens to the experts here and tries to improve all the time. He tries to improve for the situation he is in now, and he will not waste it by doing less. I am as convinced as you can be.”

 

Pressed on why there has been such a delay finding common ground, Klopp added: “Things take time. There are so many things you have to do, and by the way there is a third party. The agent is there as well. But there’s nothing to worry about, it’s a normal process. Mo has a contract here this season and next season. Nobody has to worry, it’s just the situation. All fine, not done, but we had talks. He’s a world class player, unbelievable player, did a lot of great stuff for Liverpool. Of course we want to keep him, and let’s see how it will work out.”

 

Salah had put pressure on Liverpool to accept his contract demands by insisting is not asking for “crazy stuff” - but he does want a salary increase to reflect his achievements at Anfield.  

 

“I want to stay, but it's not in my hands. It's in their hands,” Salah told GQ Global Sports Issue. “They know what I want. I'm not asking for crazy stuff.

 

“The thing is when you ask for something and then they show you they can give you something because they appreciate what you did for the club. I've been here for my fifth year now. I know the club very well. I love the fans. The fans love me. But with the administration, they have [been] told the situation. It's in their hands.”

 

Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool's owners, must weigh up the value of handing a lucrative contract to a player who turns 30 at the end of the current campaign. They will also be aware that the usual options in the transfer market for a high-profile player have changed in recent windows. 

Salah has previously spoken to Spanish outlet Marca about his future, although Real Madrid appear focused on Kylian Mbappe as their next marquee signing and Barcelona have suffered financial problems that saw Messi leave last summer. Paris St-Germain would be one of the only other realistic alternative outside England.

 

Salah is among a clutch of players whose deals expire in 2023, meaning in one year they will be able to speak to clubs about a pre-contract to move as a free agent. Raheem Sterling at Manchester City is in the same position. 

Salah is currently away on duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations and has made the three-man shortlist, along with Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and PSG's Lionel Messi, for Fifa's Best Men's Player of 2021.

 

"If you asked me if this was a drive for me to be here? Yeah, of course," he said, when asked about his ambition to win the Ballon D’Or. "I can't really lie and say honestly I didn't think about it. No, I think about it. I want to be the best player in the world. But I will have a good life even if I don't win. My life is OK, everything is fine."

[JohnnyH]

No way they'll pay £400,000 a week if that's true, and quite a few papers are reporting it so that's what the club must have briefed them.  

 

It's too much.  If he gets £400k then what's to stop VVD demanding £300k.  The precedent is awful.  

[aws]

10 minutes ago, JohnnyH said:

No way they'll pay £400,000 a week if that's true, and quite a few papers are reporting it so that's what the club must have briefed them.  

 

It's too much.  If he gets £400k then what's to stop VVD demanding £300k.  The precedent is awful.  

Maybe we need to be a bit creative to reduce the effect of the precedent. A couple of million a year to his charitable work in Egypt, a couple of million for his promotional work in the Middle East.  

[John102]

11 minutes ago, JohnnyH said:

It's too much.  If he gets £400k then what's to stop VVD demanding £300k.  The precedent is awful.  

So we can't compete in the transfer market with the top teams as we don't have the money and if we do manage to 'outsmart' the market and get one of/the best players in the world then we can't keep them, as we can't afford to pay them.

 

What a time to be alive.

[TheDrowningMan]

18 minutes ago, John102 said:

So we can't compete in the transfer market with the top teams as we don't have the money and if we do manage to 'outsmart' the market and get one of/the best players in the world then we can't keep them, as we can't afford to pay them.

 

What a time to be alive.

Isn’t it just? Might as well wish him the best of luck in Manchester and pack his bags for him - it would be a concession of defeat and inadequacy so pathetically comprehensive that you couldn’t really begrudge the player or his new club their future success.

 

As for the hypothetical of Van Dijk demanding similar money, I’d suggest that shouldn’t be an issue given he renewed in the summer and renewal needn’t be a consideration until 2024. He could demand more, but given this season’s form to date and the fact his wage increased dramatically in the summer, would that be any more legitimate than the club demanding that he take a pay cut? I’d suggest not.

[Vincent Vega]

Mo was always going to want £400k per week once he saw De Bruyne get it at City.

[lifetime fan]

11 minutes ago, Vincent Vega said:

Mo was always going to want £400k per week once he saw De Bruyne get it at City.

The only report I’ve seen said he was after £300k a week. And when you hear bums like Ndombele at Spurs is on £200k+ a week you can fully understand why he wants it. 

[Strontium]

The thing about these big wages, you're basically signing your own player on a free transfer.

£400k a week for five years is, what, £100m? Which is the equivalent of signing someone for £60m and paying them £150k a week. Good luck replacing Salah with that outlay.

[joe_fishfish]

4 minutes ago, Strontium Dog™ said:

The thing about these big wages, you're basically signing your own player on a free transfer.

£400k a week for five years is, what, £100m? Which is the equivalent of signing someone for £60m and paying them £150k a week. Good luck replacing Salah with that outlay.

So what you're saying is... Welcome to Liverpool, Jarrod Bowen?

[TheDrowningMan]

4 minutes ago, joe_fishfish said:

So what you're saying is... Welcome to Liverpool, Jarrod Bowen?

Yes, but not only Jarrod Bowen, by not overstretching and running the risk of being able to attract top-tier players, we’ll also be well positioned to stay in the black after missing out on CL football following Salah’s departure.
 

The deal will have saved us millions!

[Barrington Womble]

44 minutes ago, JohnnyH said:

No way they'll pay £400,000 a week if that's true, and quite a few papers are reporting it so that's what the club must have briefed them.  

 

It's too much.  If he gets £400k then what's to stop VVD demanding £300k.  The precedent is awful.  

he's signed his contract already. we wouldn't be the 1st club ever not to pay all our players the same and in fact have a star who earns more than everyone else. in fact i would say it is pretty normal. so if everyone else can do it i don't see why we can't. they're not working for the council where everyone is paid on bands with pay rises negotiated by the union. 

[TheDrowningMan]

2 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

he's signed his contract already. we wouldn't be the 1st club ever not to pay all our players the same and in fact have a star who earns more than everyone else. in fact i would say it is pretty normal. so if everyone else can do it i don't see why we can't. they're not working for the council where everyone is paid on bands with pay rises negotiated by the union. 

You mean you don’t remember when Alan Hansen refused to play and walked out of the club when John Barnes turned up with his 10k per week?

[Barrington Womble]

1 minute ago, TheDrowningMan said:

You mean you don’t remember when Alan Hansen refused to play and walked out of the club when John Barnes turned up with his 10k per week?

i don't remember that to be honest ... but i reckon around 1988 i was probably pissed! 

[Harry Squatter]

38 minutes ago, John102 said:

So we can't compete in the transfer market with the top teams as we don't have the money and if we do manage to 'outsmart' the market and get one of/the best players in the world then we can't keep them, as we can't afford to pay them.

 

What a time to be alive.

We can't even compete with Aston Villa anymore in the transfer market never mind Chelsea and the two Manc clubs. 

[TheDrowningMan]

6 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

i don't remember that to be honest ... but i reckon around 1988 i was probably pissed! 

Oh it didn’t happen. Just a flippant comment on the idea that there haven’t been star players commanding much higher wages since time immemorial.

[JohnnyH]

12 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

he's signed his contract already. we wouldn't be the 1st club ever not to pay all our players the same and in fact have a star who earns more than everyone else. in fact i would say it is pretty normal. so if everyone else can do it i don't see why we can't. they're not working for the council where everyone is paid on bands with pay rises negotiated by the union. 

I didn't say anything about paying everyone the same.  I reduced the VVD salary by £100,000 a week in the example I gave.  But it's about the precedent. We pay Salah £400k a week and then try and replace Mane with Bellingham in the summer ad then Bellingham is then saying well I'm worth £250k a week if Salah is £400k

[Barrington Womble]

2 minutes ago, TheDrowningMan said:

Oh it didn’t happen. Just a flippant comment on the idea that there haven’t been star players commanding much higher wages since time immemorial.

haha. it could have happened though! 

[Barrington Womble]

2 minutes ago, JohnnyH said:

I didn't say anything about paying everyone the same.  I reduced the VVD salary by £100,000 a week in the example I gave.  But it's about the precedent. We pay Salah £400k a week and then try and replace Mane with Bellingham in the summer ad then Bellingham is then saying well I'm worth £250k a week if Salah is £400k

so firstly, we won't be buying bellingham, he already doesn't represent value. but i get your point. and we direct him at the salary of the other 20 squad members, we direct him to what salah earnt when he arrived at the club and we explain to him there is a path to earning world class wages when he becomes a world class player.

 

and he doesn't have to point at salah's wages to demand more. if he believes he could earn it with the manchester clubs, chelsea etc, then he can present the same point of view. so wages at other clubs absolutely come in to what our players earn. That includes Mo Salah. If you've an appetite to be at the top table in football, at some point you need to pay some top players their market worth. 

 

[LFC 6 Times]

If De Bruyne is on 400k, Mo should be on around 550k.

[Megadrive Man]

The difference is that City can easily afford to pay De Bruyne 400k a week. Even if he got a serious career ending injury and never played for them again it wouldn't make any impact on their finances. 

 

For us, I assume we are weighing up the risk of Salah potentially declining in a couple of years vs can we sign a 25 year old with the potential to be "the next Salah" 

[LFC 6 Times]

9 minutes ago, MegadriveMan said:

The difference is that City can easily afford to pay De Bruyne 400k a week. Even if he got a serious career ending injury and never played for them again it wouldn't make any impact on their finances. 

 

For us, I assume we are weighing up the risk of Salah potentially declining in a couple of years vs can we sign a 25 year old with the potential to be "the next Salah" 

No we can’t,  he’s irreplaceable. We have the best player in the world on our hands, who loves it here and is absolutely adored by the fans and his teammates.

 

What sort of message does it send about our ambition or status as a club if we can’t tie down our best player, who has reiterated publicly that he wants to stay?