Mohamed Salah is the object of affection from Saudi Pro League officials but Liverpool know their number 11 will be there for the long haul at Anfield, writes Paul Gorst
When it comes to major career changes, June seems to be the month of choice for Mohamed Salah.
It was on this day six years ago that the Egyptian international joined Liverpool from Roma and became what was then the most expensive player in Reds history when he signed a contract for five years for an initial sum of £36.9 million.
Another major milestone for Salah was to wait five years later when he signed the most lucrative contract ever at Liverpool and established himself as one of the greatest players of modern times.
The man, affectionately dubbed ‘the Egyptian King’ by Liverpool fans, ended months of intense speculation last year after a delegation from the club arrived days earlier to meet Salah at his home on the Greek island of Mykonos to say hello. The conditions that have left the Reds’ top scorer for the past six seasons leave no doubt how much he is valued at Anfield.
But while developments in June 2017 and 2022 have been overwhelmingly positive from Liverpool’s perspective, recent rumors of what appears to be a football revolution in Saudi Arabia will be far less welcome, although they can only evoke the eyes of those affected at this time. Having seemingly secured Wolves captain Ruben Neves in recent days, it is Manchester City star Bernardo Silva who is the latest big name in the Saudi Professional League’s sights.
While the Portuguese international is behind Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in City’s galaxy, the capture of Silva would still be the key asset of this apparent new dawn.
If Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time, his move to Al Nassr was completed last November at the age of 37, while current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema has transferred from Real Madrid to Saudi Arabia. . champion Al Ittihad who celebrated his 35th birthday last December.
While both players are still able to operate with distinction at elite level, it’s not a new trend in football for aging stars to move to less demanding leagues for eye-popping, short-term pay.
The difference with Saudi Arabia’s new determination to raise the profile of their top flight, it seems, is that they are targeting the big European players in their prime. Silva – 28 and having just helped inspire Man City to a treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup – is just that. His possible departure from the Etihad would to some extent be a milestone for modern football.
Given the scale of ambition that now exists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the aggressive and wasteful nature of their activities, it is no surprise that Salah is high on the shortlist.
“We hope Bernardo Silva, from Manchester City, will come,” Saudi Pro League official Hafez Al-Medlej said this week. “We also need to start working on signing Mohamed Salah as he is extremely popular in the Arab world and in Europe. I think Salah still has some records to break with Liverpool, so I hope if he doesn’t come now, he will in the future.”
Salah is the poster child for Egypt and the Middle East at large when it comes to football, and his popularity has led to a surge in Liverpool supporters in Arab regions of the world.
And while there’s no mistaking Al-Medlej’s aspirations when it comes to attracting a star of Salah’s stature to the KSA, he was at least gracious enough to admit that the Liverpool No11 still has plenty to come in Merseyside.
The former Roma midfielder has never given up on his desire to become the club’s all-time top scorer. After clinching that particular Premier League-era title courtesy of two goals in a 7-0 win over Manchester United in March, Salah is now fifth on the all-time list with his 186 goals, still 160 short of the Ian Rush records.
The pair have grown close to the pitch in recent years, with Rush regularly falling victim to tongue-in-cheek threats from Salah over his historic scoring. Salah, who turned 31 last week, is keen to bring out the best of his talents at the highest level of the game and that’s why he was quick to post on social media when he was confirmed on last month that Liverpool were making money. spend at least one season outside the Champions League after finishing fifth.
“I am absolutely devastated,” he tweeted. “There is absolutely no excuse for that. We had everything we needed to get into the Champions League next year and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying for the competition is the bare minimum. I’m sorry, but it’s still too early for an encouraging or optimistic contribution. We have failed you and ourselves.
Sources within the club have spoken of Salah’s desire and belief to repeat what he did before signing last year and the 30 goals he last scored in a season overall difficult for the Reds testify to this state of mind of the now 31-year-old. old.
With a big season ahead for Jurgen Klopp and his team – as they seek to ensure there was a one-off dip last season – Salah will be too focused on the here and now to dwell on exorbitant offers from Saudi Arabia.
