Mohamed Salah's early-season displays just prove Liverpool need to sort his contract out
Liverpool have yet to open talks with Mo Salah about a new contract which has sparked fears he could leave for nothing in the summer but the Reds must act and give him what he wants
Just four months separate them but there was a chasm between them in terms of performance on Sunday.
Mo Salah is just 16 weeks younger than Casemiro. Yet while the Manchester United midfielder looked old beyond his 32 years and closer to a zimmer frame than the Champions League crowns he is famed for, the Liverpool attacker glided all over Old Trafford.
Salah may be heading to the latter years of his career but Sunday’s two assists and goal show was another reason why Liverpool have to act and give him a new contract.
Reds fans may have been too busy celebrating a win over their bitter rivals to care but those listening to his post-match interview must have been worried. Salah may have mis-chosen his words when he appeared to confirm he is in his last season at the club, instead meaning it is the last year of his contract you’d expect.
But he was quite clear when he confirmed that the club’s sporting department has yet to open talks with him over a new deal. Was it a pointed reference? Who knows but certainly a change of tact from a pre-match interview in which he said he was ‘relaxed’ about the situation.
The point is Salah, unlike Casemiro, is ageing well. Maybe not getting better than his pomp but if there’s been any drop off it is minimal, you can argue there has been none at all. It’s three goals and three assists in three games. Not a bad start to the season.
Not a bad start for any negotiations about what he is worth in terms of a new deal, either. It’s quite clear by Sunday’s showing that Salah would play a big role if Arne Slot is to achieve success at Liverpool.
Can they replace him? It wouldn’t be easy. Federico Chiesa is a shrewd piece of business at just £10m but is he really the heir to the throne? Will the Reds develop into a side not as dependent on the brilliance of the Egyptian?
They have, under Jurgen Klopp, shown they can win without him when he’s at Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and during the odd injury absence. But who will fill the void every week if he was to walk away next summer? It’s a question that must be considered if - and you’d imagine when - Liverpool hierarchy sit down at the negotiating table with Salah and his representatives.
The Reds may rightly - like any well-run club - look to protect themselves in any negotiations by not offering a very long contract to a player in his 30s. All the data suggests that Salah is not slowing down, and the fitness and medical tests probably show he’s not got the body of a regular 32-year-old player either.
But ageing can happen quickly. Just look at Casemiro. He was superb in his first season at Old Trafford on the back of a glittering time at Real Madrid. Now he looks finished and still has two years left to run on a contract United can’t shift him from.
Salah won’t suffer anything like Casemiro’s downfall but the Reds will want to tread carefully and find the right extension to suit their own needs. It’s an interesting situation and nobody knows why Liverpool have allowed it to get to just over three months before Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk can speak to clubs abroad.
Maybe it was the busy summer of change behind the scenes but they must act now and find an agreement with Salah to keep him at Anfield beyond 2025. Nevermind not signing enough players in the transfer window, it is about getting this signature.
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