Richard Hughes. Source: Imago Images
Liverpool needed Mohamed Salah to step up and score against Bologna on Wednesday night to seal a 2-0 win in the Champions League game at Anfield.
Salah did what he has been doing since he joined the club and was on the scoresheet to help the Reds get over the line against a defiant Bologna side at Anfield.
The attacker scored his sixth goal of the season and again managed to underline his importance to the team under new manager Arne Slot, despite his advancing years.
The situation around Salah’s future has been the background noise of the season at Anfield as he is in the final year of his contract with Liverpool.
The Reds have been asked to break the bank to keep the Egyptian star at the club beyond the end of his current deal but he has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia on a free transfer next summer.
However, former Crystal Palace midfielder Damien Delaney believes money might not be the real issue between the club and the player when it comes to agreeing on a new contract.
The Liverpool star might want a longer deal than what the club are prepared to offer him
Salah is aware that this could be the final big contract of his career and the Saudi Pro League clubs are prepared to offer a massive deal to convince him to move to the Middle East next summer.
Liverpool are also likely to offer him big money to stay at Anfield but Delaney feels the real issue could be the length of the contract the club would be willing to give him at this stage of his career.
He believes given Salah’s age, the former Premier League star believes Liverpool might not be keen to offer more than a two-year deal to him while the player is likely to demand the relative safety of a four-year contract.
“Look, his numbers are incredible. I truly, sincerely hope that he’s at Liverpool next season”, Delaney said on Virgin Media Sport.
“But there has to be a compromise with his age, the amount of money he’s earning, the length of his contract. Because a fall-off at that age can be quite severe, comes very quickly.
“He’s 32 now – he might get another year, 18 months, two years out of him.
“I think Liverpool are probably behind the scenes offering him potentially a two-year deal. But at his age, he’s going to want four.
“That’s a stumbling block, as Liverpool can’t give him four years on that type of money because you then end up in an awkward situation.”
Liverpool do not want to lose Salah but work is already underway in trying to find a proper replacement for him if he leaves next summer.
About the Author
