Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah problem: Sell or keep?

Liverpool rejected offers in excess of £150 million from Saudi Arabia for Mohamed Salah during the 2023 summer transfer window, with the Reds desperate to hold on to their star man.

However, despite scoring 17 goals in the Premier League season, poor performances during the run-in, and the exit of Jurgen Klopp, have led to some questioning whether the time is right for Liverpool to sell Salah and reinvest in other areas of the squad.

So, Coral looks at whether Liverpool should sell their ‘Egyptian King’ in what is definitely going to be a summer of rebuilding, or whether the club’s higher-ups should keep their star right-winger, and potentially even pen him down to a new contract.

Salah joined Liverpool in 2017 from Roma, and according to reports, wasn’t Jurgen Klopp’s first choice signing, with the boss instead wanting to sign fellow German Julian Brandt. However, Sporting Director Michael Edwards was able to convince Klopp and co that the former Chelsea winger was the right man to bring in, and what a decision that ended up being.

In his first season at the club, Salah scored 32 league goals, breaking the record at the time for the most goals scored in a 38 game Premier League season. He also scored 11 goals in Europe, helping Liverpool to its first Champions League final in ten years, which they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid.

The signs were clear for all to see, Salah was a top player in the making and had formed a fantastic partnership with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané, but some questioned whether their incredible form would last. It most certainly did, as in the two seasons that followed, Salah guided Liverpool to a 2019 Champions League final win over Tottenham, and their first Premier League title the following year, scoring 27 and 23 goals in all competitions across those two campaigns.

Salah has been, since joining Liverpool, the club’s go-to man. When things are going well, or his teammates are out of form, Mo has stepped up and almost won games on his own. His injury record had been nothing short of sublime, and just 12 months ago, it’d have seemed totally crazy to even think about selling Salah, but that’s the position Liverpool fans find themselves in now.

Salah started the season incredibly well for the Reds, and on the face of it, a haul of 17 goals in the Premier League isn’t anything to scoff at. However, the winger’s performances for Liverpool since returning from AFCON and being on the injury bench for the first few months of the year have seriously worried fans of the Reds.

Prior to this season, Salah had barely missed any games since joining Liverpool, playing 37, 35 and 38 games respectively across his last three full campaigns in the Premier League. However, this year, Mo has only managed to feature in 28 league games for Liverpool, meaning if he features in each of the club’s remaining four matches, he’ll finish the season having played just 32, which will be the fewest he’s managed since his final season at Roma.

Salah suffered an injury whilst out at AFCON in early-January, and despite returning for a game against Brentford in February, in which he scored in, the star attacker was sidelined once again with claims he was rushed back too soon. He wouldn’t start again in the Premier League for Liverpool until the final day of March, his longest absence for the club.

Since coming back from his injury, Salah’s form has worried many of the Liverpool faithful. The Egyptian National Team captain has played seven times in the Premier League since returning to full fitness, and managed to score two goals, with only one being from open play. During those games, Salah has missed a host of chances too, with some even claiming that the Reds would still be in the title race if the ex-Fiorentina man had been more clinical.

Salah’s form and poor injury record this year has led to some questioning whether or not the time has finally come for Liverpool to sell Salah, opting to spend that money on a younger winger, but is that going to be the right thing to do?

We covered previously how Salah was a signing made by Edwards, who has now returned to the club to oversee the transition into the post-Klopp era, but you’d be wrong if you think that the former Sporting Director’s return automatically means that Mo is going to stay at Liverpool. Edwards is ruthless when it comes to his transfer business, and while Klopp had been accused of being too loyal to his players, FSG’s incoming CEO isn’t afraid to let key players leave if it’s better for the long-term future of the club.

Salah does have credit in the bank amongst Liverpool fans, but Edwards might view the 2024 summer transfer window as the perfect time to sell the winger, with interest from Saudi Arabia almost definitely set to return. Liverpool won’t be expecting offers close that what they were sent from the Middle East last year, but with Saudi Arabian’s clubs desperate to bring Salah into their project, Edwards could sense out an opportunity to sell his prized winger for big money.

The issue is complicated further by the fact that Salah is out of contract with Liverpool in 2025, so he’ll be entering his last season with the club in just a few months. It isn’t a case of Liverpool having the time to see if Salah can return to form under the new manager, believed to be Arne Slot. Liverpool either have to sell the Egyptian this summer, or risk losing him on a free next year if he doesn’t sign a new contract before the start of the 2024/25 season.

So, taking all that into consideration, what should Edwards, new Sporting Director Richard Hughes, and the rest of the Liverpool management team do about this Salah situation?

It’s not going to be an easy situation, and it’s likely to result in tears from a portion of the Liverpool fanbase, but Coral is of the belief that Salah should leave the club this summer, with the club able to recoup some funds to reinvest in the squad, starting with a younger right-winger.

It won’t be easy to find someone who is going to be able to do what Salah has done for Liverpool on the pitch, but if anyone can do it, it’s Edwards. The time is right for Liverpool and for Salah, he can go to Saudi Arabia and be the key figure in their new project, while Liverpool can get some money in the bank to reinvest in the squad that suits Slot (presuming he comes in), and his style of football.

It’s going to be a bitter pill to swallow, there’s no denying that, but it’s time for the Salah and Liverpool fairytale to end before things turn sour.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.