Liverpool might be tempted to look at Tottenham and Harry Kane this season and wonder if there is a right time to sell your star player after all.
But anyone at Anfield seriously considering whether or not to break the bank and go against their usual transfer and contract strategy to keep Salah should quickly reconsider.
Salah, has, quite simply, been on another level since moving to the Premier League in 2017. He’s a long way ahead of any other player for goals, with 101 so far, with Harry Kane a distant second with 88 in the same period.
When you remember that the Egypt international cost a fraction of the likes of Paul Pogba, Kai Havertz, Nicolas Pepe and other expensive misfits of recent times, there’s a decent argument that he’s one of the very best signings of the modern era.
Jamie Carragher has already made it clear that Salah is already up there with the all-time greats in Liverpool’s history, and yet he remains strangely underrated by some.
Perhaps if Salah had played in a weaker team he’d stand out more? It’s certainly the case that Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard benefited from being on another level from so many of the rest of their team-mates at various points in their Anfield careers, whereas Salah has been part of a world class squad that has won the Premier League and Champions League.
But, as good as the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane also are, there’s no doubt that the shining star in Jurgen Klopp’s best teams has been Salah.
Former Liverpool star Michael Thomas firmly believes Salah has been a “catalyst” for the club, and ranks him in that top tier of players just outside of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Salah has been nothing short of immense since joining the club,” Thomas tells CaughtOffside. “He has a real winner’s mentality and always pushes himself to be better. Salah has been a real catalyst, and his goal against Manchester City was just another instance of what a great player he is.
“You can’t fault him in what he’s brought to the club since arriving. His goal and assist record is amazing and this is someone that plays largely out wide.
“He has scored important goals, been part of a team that won the Premier League title after many years – and not to mention his individual accolades.
“I don’t like to compare him to Messi and Ronaldo as I think they are in a league of their own. But then there is the small list of players just below – Neymar, Mbappe, Haaland, Benzema, Lewandowski, and Salah is definitely right up there.”
It can be hard to emphasise the impact of one individual when Klopp is quite rightly keen to focus on the team ethic that has brought him success at Liverpool.
That harmony in the dressing room could be disrupted if one player is suddenly elevated above the rest by earning a huge new contract, but at the same time, how might the rest of the squad respond if such an important match-winner leaves?
Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick is certainly of the opinion that Liverpool should do whatever they can to keep Salah, even if that means a change in their usual wage strategy.
“Liverpool have to do whatever they can to keep Mo Salah at the club,” Chadwick tells CaughtOffside. “He will go down as one of the great Liverpool players in terms of the amount of goals he’s scored in such a short space of time.
“Last season there was perhaps an element of greed as he seemed to try to score every time he got the ball, but he’s got everyone back onside. Liverpool need to do everything they can to get him to sign on the dotted line.
“Last season he got a little bit of criticism, but you look at his stats, they’re unbelievable. He looks back to his best, like the Mo Salah who was such a massive part of them winning the league. I don’t think there are many better players than him in world football at the moment. His goal against Manchester City was unbelievable.”
Liverpool might be comforted by their recent history of big sales – Philippe Coutinho left in a big-money move but has flopped at Barcelona, while even Suarez’s departure didn’t give the club too much of a setback in the grander scheme of things. It’s quite clear that Salah is on a different level, however, so the Reds shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security over this. At a time when Manchester City, United and Chelsea are spending as much as ever, with Newcastle surely soon to join them, a big pay rise for Salah could be the best investment Liverpool could make in the next few years.
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