Show Mo the money – Liverpool must make exception over Salah deal | OneFootball

In a game of contract cat and mouse, Mohamed Salah has placed his cards firmly on the table.

The ball is in your court, he’s told Liverpool. Whether that’s entirely true, or his recent comments are a ploy to leverage himself a better deal, remains to be seen but Salah has at the very least put Fenway Sports Group under pressure.

In no uncertain terms, he’s made clear his desire to stay at Liverpool. His revelation that a new deal has not yet been offered is sure to stir unrest among a fanbase who adore him.

Just how have Liverpool got themselves in this situation? Arguably their three most important players are all out of contract in the summer and there has been no public progress on new deals.

Salah’s situation is headline news again after the forward’s match-winning performance at Southampton and subsequent post-match comments. Fresh from firing the Reds eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table, he dropped a bombshell regarding his future.

“Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” the 32-year-old said.

“I’m probably more out than in. You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this but in the end, it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future.”

Asked if he was disappointed at the lack of offers from Liverpool, Salah replied: “Of course, yeah. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end, it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.”

Salah’s situation is uncomfortable and looms like a dark cloud over an otherwise rosy start under Arne Slot. Still, at 32, he’s Liverpool’s most influential talent but FSG’s model dictates a lucrative long-term deal is difficult.

Their success has been built on a Moneyball-inspired approach to recruitment where data trumps all. Now, however, there is a conflict in numbers. Salah will turn 33 next summer and at some point a drop-off is inevitable. But that drop-off does not look like coming soon. He is arguably producing the most efficient numbers of his career with 16 goals and assists in 12 league appearances – an average of one every 66 minutes.

Given he is Liverpool’s highest-paid player on a basic wage of around £350,000 a week, there is a hesitancy to hand a new deal of length to a player whose best days may soon be behind him. Salah, however, will point to the here and now. He’s the most productive player in the Premier League this season and it’s not particularly close.

His shirtless celebration at Southampton only emphasised his status as a supreme athlete, one who Liverpool can not afford to let leave for nothing. Lucrative long contracts do not fit the FSG philosophy but smart business people know there are exceptions to every rule. Salah is one of them. A compromise must be found.

For context, Salah’s current wage spread over three years equates to roughly £54m. Finding a comparable replacement already appears near impossible. Doing so for less than that figure even more so, before we’ve even accounted for agents’ fees, signing-on fees and the incoming player’s wages. Even those in the top bracket of wide players linked with Anfield; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Rafael Leao, et al do not produce close to Salah’s numbers.

For context, Liverpool have spent around £188m on Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunz and Federico Chiesa. With 16 goals and assists in the Premier League between them this season, Salah has matched them alone.

It’s time to get the deal done.

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