With Mohamad Salah officially signing a new long-term deal with the club last week, Liverpool fans couldn’t have been more overjoyed at the news.
The forward has transformed the Reds since his arrival in the summer of 2017 and he looks set to star for the club until 2025.
Coming off the back of another successful season, the Egyptian was at his mercurial best at times, as he shared the Golden Boot with Son Heung-Min and also topped the assist charts.
With Salah now confirmed to be staying at the club, we analyse just how important the forward is to the success of this Liverpool side.
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Salah has been one of the standout players in the league over the course of five seasons on Merseyside.
Arriving for a fee of £34m from Roma in 2017, he exploded onto the Premier League scene with 32 goals and 12 assists in a record-breaking season.
Previously he had featured for Chelsea in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 season but was signed after successful spells in Italy with Fiorentina and Roma.
Salah has become a key man for Jurgen Klopp as he helped the club secure their first Premier League title as well as their sixth UEFA Champions League, with the left-footed dazzler scoring in the final.
Players with the most goal involvements in Europe's top five leagues since Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool:
🇦🇷 200 – Lionel Messi (131 goals, 69 assists)
🇵🇱184 – Robert Lewandowski (161 goals, 23 assists)
🇪🇬164 – Mohamed Salah (118 goals, 46 assists)[@OptaJoe] pic.twitter.com/UGVi9t5Qyu
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) July 2, 2022
As Sadio Mane has departed for Bayern Munich, there was a worry over Salah and his contract before he signed on to become Liverpool highest paid player.
A key man in their side, Salah’s commitment will be essential for Liverpool’s success, especially considering their attack now boasts a fresh feel.
Signings of Darwin Nunez, Luis Dias and Fabio Carvalho have all been made since January, and the trio are all young and highly talented players who will be key men going forward.
Salah is the experienced, senior figure in the side who now has the job of spearheading this new frontline and helping the new signings to bed in and lead them into a new era.
🇪🇬 Mo Salah – 156 goals & 58 assists
🇧🇷 Roberto Firmino – 75 goals & 49 assists
🇸🇳 Sadio Mane – 107 goals & 30 assistsOne of the greatest trio's we will ever see in the Premier League. The end of an era. 💔 pic.twitter.com/LmG8Dqmz04
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) June 23, 2022
For so long Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino terrorized Premier League defences, but now a new look forward line consisting of Diaz and a combination of Nunez and Jota will join Salah as a new era begins.
At 30 years of age, Salah currently sits in his peak years of playing. Arguably Liverpool’s most influential player, he now takes on a slightly different role in the squad following Mane’s departure.
The good news is that Diaz has taken to Liverpool like a duck to water, and his chemistry with Salah and the rest of the Liverpool team is already a real bonus ahead of next season.
The introduction of Nunez as a central striker will be an adaption process for the side, especially given his make-up as a tall, strong and athletic forward which is very different when compared to the more technical link-up play of Firmino and the more fluid movement of Jota.
Salah will need to find a way to connect with Nunez, but it will take time for the Uruguayan to settle into this fantastic Liverpool side.
The pressure rests on the Egyptian’s shoulders to score the key goals, especially as the new front-three begins to build their chemistry.
If Salah can start the season at the same pace he did last year, then this Liverpool front-line can focus on building their familiarity without the added pressure to always score.
Exciting times await Liverpool fans, but Salah will once again be a key player and detrimental to the success of Liverpool next season.
