Football Today
·25 December 2024
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·25 December 2024
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has sent a clear message to teammate Mohamed Salah amid growing uncertainty surrounding the Egyptian’s long-term future.
The Reds have enjoyed a fantastic 2024/25 season despite going through a managerial transition last summer.
Arne Slot has done a remarkable job picking up where Jurgen Klopp left off and has transformed the Reds into a force to be reckoned with at home and abroad.
Liverpool have been defeated just once across all competitions since Slot took over, falling 1-0 at home to surprise package Nottingham Forest in mid-September.
The Merseyside giants have gone 21 games unbeaten since then, boasting the second-best attack and the joint meanest defence in the league.
Salah has been the major driving force behind Liverpool’s title bid.
The Egyptian has notched 15 goals and 11 assists in 16 league games, becoming the first Premier League player to hit double figures in goals and assists before Christmas.
His brace in the 6-3 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur sent him up to fourth on Liverpool’s all-time top scorers list, sending a clear message to the club as contract talks hit a roadblock.
Gakpo has insisted that Liverpool are ‘lucky’ to have a player of Salah’s ability.
“I don’t know what to say,” Gakpo said in an interview (via the club’s official website). “It’s very special what we are all witnessing. The amount of goals he scores, but the assists he gives as well.
“The way he plays the game – how he puts other attacking players or midfielders like myself in a position to score and to be dangerous is from a high level.
“I hope for us, and for him, that he can continue doing that for a long time.
“We are very lucky to have him and proud that we can be his teammate and try to make him better. And he is trying to make us better as well.”
Despite Salah’s rampant form, contract talks with the club have yet to yield any positive results. It will be intriguing to see if the ex-Chelsea forward will stay at Anfield beyond this summer.