Importance of Mohamed Salah highlighted during Liverpool contract talks

Liverpool fans were no doubt nervous when talisman Mohamed Salah suggested that Anfield may not be where his long-term future lies.

Undeniably a big club, Salah’s current contract expires in June 2025. The Egyptian striker has publicly expressed his disappointment at Liverpool’s failure to offer him a new contract. After Sunday’s win at Southampton, which saw the Reds move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table, he told reporters he was “probably more on the outside than in ” and that he had not yet been offered new mandates.

An unwelcome distraction in what has been an exceptional start to Arne Slot’s tenure, Salah’s frustration is somewhat understandable, given his remarkable contributions since arriving from AS Roma seven years ago and his impressive performances this season.

To say that Salah is Liverpool’s most important player is an understatement; any assertion to the contrary is fundamentally incorrect. The stats speak for themselves: he currently leads the Premier League in goals and assists this season, with a total of 16, contributing to Liverpool’s campaign with a league-high 17 points.

Consider the league standings without his direct contributions to further illustrate his impact. Liverpool have scored 24 goals and conceded eight, giving a goal difference of +16. However, if Salah’s goals and assists had been excluded, the Reds would have scored just seven goals, resulting in a -1 goal difference, putting them level with Bournemouth.

With such a potential impact on their goals, it’s clear that Liverpool’s points table would also look a lot less impressive. This season, every Salah contribution has brought at least one point to Slot’s side, indicating that without his contribution the Reds would be 17 points fewer, going from 31 to just 14.

In the current Premier League standings, this would place them in 14th position; However, in this revised scenario they would rank slightly better at 13th, behind struggling teams like Manchester United, Fulham and Brentford. Given his impressive performance this season, where he leads the club with 12 goals, it is reasonable to expect him to climb higher in the goalscoring charts as the season progresses.

One reason for this reluctance could be age. Players over 30, such as Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, have seen a decline following lucrative contracts. However, suggesting that Salah would face a similar fate could be seen as disrespectful, given the significant efforts he has made to maintain his high level of performance.

“We know clubs are reluctant to give big contracts to older players,” Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas told Harvard Business Study, “but Mohamed can play into his early 40s if he wish.”

Since arriving on Merseyside, the 32-year-old has proven to be nothing short of exceptional. After making his Premier League debut for Liverpool on 12 August 2017, he made the most appearances in the league for the Reds, making 262. He ranks just behind Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for appearances for all clubs .

With 165 league goals, Salah has topped everyone during this period and is only behind Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne in assists, totaling 74.

His minutes per goal ratio of 132 is comparable to that of former Tottenham striker Harry Kane. Salah also leads in penalties scored in the league, with 28 to his name, and he holds the record for the most hat-tricks by a Liverpool player during this period, with four.

Salah’s talent for scoring crucial goals is unparalleled; he had the most big chances in the top flight, with 122 to 23 more than Harry Kane, the next closest player. Additionally, when looking at expected goals (xG), Salah’s league tally of 157 since his debut is the highest of all, although his actual goals exceed that figure.

The next time Salah comes out, he faces defending champions Manchester City, and the Egyptian king usually reigns supreme in this match, with 11 goals and six assists in 21 appearances. He’s also on pace to become the first player to reach double figures in six different seasons.

“If Liverpool win the Premier League this season a lot of it will depend on Mo Salah and his form,” Chris Sutton told BBC Sport. “The fact that he’s physically in great shape now, he’s going to continue for a few more seasons at least, he’s such an important player, so why on earth are Liverpool letting this rumble? I don’t understand.

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