Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
IT MAY BE TIME TO LET SALAH GO
MANY fans of Liverpool and Manchester United will not want Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo to leave their respective clubs at the end of the season. Given that Ronaldo is 37, Liverpool fans will be hoping for Salah to stay longer.
Salah’s contract at Anfield is due to expire at the end of next season. This essentially means that should he not sign a new deal with Liverpool, he may have to be sold at the end of the season or Liverpool will have to sell him at a bargain price, if not let him go for free in just over a year.
To keep the Egyptian, Liverpool will probably have to make him the highest paid footballer in the world if not close to it. The vultures will be circling with offers similar and higher than what Liverpool will offer.
On paper, it’s a no-brainer for Liverpool to keep Salah. However, they must be practical. If they bend over backwards and meet every one of his demands, it could hurt in the long run.
Realistically, Salah will not get better as a player. He is in the prime of his powers. Liverpool would be better off keeping their salary cap as is. Should they meet Salah’s demands, it is also likely that the other stars in the team will demand similar salaries as their teammate, which is simply not sustainable.
In addition to this, Liverpool will face issues from stars that they want to negotiate with to sign from other clubs. Other clubs will use Salah’s potential salary as a means to determine their demands.
The bottom line is that if Salah does not agree to the best that Liverpool are able to offer, the club must use logic over emotion and sell. It will be a depressing farewell to one of their greatest players of all time but it will be one that is practical and which will be for the future well-being of the club.
Manchester United made such mistakes in the past by meeting every demand of Ronaldo, Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial in the recent past. The Red Devils made impractical decisions, going with “what ifs” based on the potential of the players instead of looking at it practically and without emotion.
Ronaldo is still a classy player. He can still deliver performances most players dream of, as he showed with his hat-trick when United downed Tottenham 3-2 in March.
However, one major flaw of Ronaldo’s has been laid bare this season. While he adds individual brilliance and a steady supply of goals to any club that he joins, he does not improve his team-mates as do the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Son Heung-Min or Roberto Firmino.