Reds must show Salah the colour of Mo-ney
JURGEN KLOPP cranked up the pressure on Liverpool’s power-brokers with his verdict on Mo Salah.
By saluting the Egyptian as the best player on the planet this week, the German made life just that little more difficult for Anfield bigwigs.
The canny Reds chief was effectively telling his paymasters they risk losing their star turn unless they tie him to a cashbusting deal. And why wouldn’t Klopp take that stance?
Salah’s in the form of his life, scoring at least one goal every time he steps on the pitch.
His boss wants him to stay put. Of course he does – he’s a football manager and his life is made a hell of a lot easier with the Premier League’s No.1 striker to call upon.
But for the Fenway Sports Group it’s a tricky conundrum.
If Salah is the best, then he will argue that he deserves to be paid as such. And that means parity with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rumours abound that the bounty on the 29-year-old’s head is £500,000 a week.
If Liverpool won’t pay that, then the clock is ticking down to the day Salah walks out – for nothing at the end of next season.
With him in the side, the Reds are almost certainly guaranteed Champions League qualification. Without him, well...
Now, the bean-counters may be looking at it and want to cash in – a move that would spark howls of protest on Merseyside.
But the greater problem is actually to be found inside Liverpool’s dressing-room.
The minute that Salah puts pen to paper on a new deal, a queue will form outside Klopp’s door.
Sadio Mane, in particular, will be one of the first asking why his wages are over £300,000 a week lighter than his colleague’s. And it’s an understandable position for him to take – it is a team game, after all.
With salaries for first-teamers ranging anywhere from £5-10million, Salah would be pocketing over twice as much.
The dressing-room harmony – such a cornerstone of Liverpool’s success in recent years – would potentially be disrupted.
Would other Anfield stars like Senegal hotshot Mane (below) accept that Salah is a special talent and should therefore be paid as such?
If there are grumbles about his pay packet, would the club owners decide Salah’s team-mates can all like it or lump it?
Maybe they will find players who are comfortable with Salah being paid more – and, yes, that includes Mane if he’s not willing to accept his team-mate’s status.
There is one further issue.
There aren’t many top strikers on the market at present – unless the Reds gamble and buy potential.
They are selling for north of £100m – and that surely wouldn’t be enough to buy Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
By waving goodbye to a low-maintenance Salah
– and his guaranteed
25-plus goals a season
– Liverpool would be taking a huge risk.
Losing the
Egyptian maestro would be too damaging. Picking up the pieces in the dressingroom may be a safer option.
Salah guarantees success. And if that happens, everyone wins. If the rest don’t like it, they’re more expendable. The fact is, if the Reds want Salah to keep on producing, they’re going to
have to pay.