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Mohamed Salah confirmed that he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
The 33-year-old will end his two-year deal at Anfield prematurely. In honour of the Egyptian King, this edition of the newsletter will be dedicated to Salah and what comes next.
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It looked like an international break where Liverpool would be licking their wounds after suffering a 10th Premeir League defeat of the season.
That was until Tuesday evening when Salah confirmed that he would be leaving in a video on social media.
Now, it is dominating the news cycle surrounding Liverpool.
He said:
“Hello everyone, unfortunately the day has come. This is the first part of my farewell. I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
“I wanted to start by saying that I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life.
“Liverpool is not just a football club, it’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit. I can’t explain in words to anyone not part of this club.
“We celebrated victory, we won the most important trophies and we fought together through the hardest time in our life.
“I want to thank everyone who was part of this club throughout my time here, especially the teammates past and present.
“And to the fans, I don’t have enough words. The support you showed me through the best time of my career and you stood by me in the toughest times. It’s something I will never forget and something I will take with me always.
“Leaving is never easy. You gave me the best time of my life. I will be always one of you.
“This club will always be my home to me and to my family. Thank you for everything. Because of all of you, I will never walk alone.”
Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa didn’t mince his words regarding what comes next for the 33-year-old.
The Liverpool star hasn’t been far away from speculation and his agent has taken to social media in the past to quash rumours. On Tuesday, he did just that. He said: “We do not know where Mohamed will play next season. This also means that no one else knows."
It has been an incredible season for Liverpool for all the wrong reasons. For Salah, he hasn’t managed to live up to expectations, though popping up with crucial contributions.
But you can’t look beyond his incendiary comments in December. The Daily Mail reported that the breakdown in relations with Arne Slot undoubtedly played a part. But murmurs that this season could be his last started before the fallout.
Salah will leave on a free transfer after discussions with Anfield officials.
It all could have worked out differently for Liverpool. If the stars had aligned, in the summer of 2017, they would have signed Julian Brandt from Bayer Leverkusen instead of Salah, The Times reported.
WinWinAllSports has reported that since the announcement, which has since gathered 31million views on X alone, Salah was in good spirits and relaxed after his bombshell interview.
Where Salah leaves Liverpool to join is one of the debates that is raging on in the background. The Athletic has outlined Saudi Arabia, United States, Europe or within the Premier League as potential destinations.
Outspoken former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has questioned whether the decision to announce his Liverpool departure could come back to haunt Salah.
Jamie Carragher, however, believes the Egyptian is in line to receive “a big send off”.
For Liverpool, what comes next?
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes the only way the Reds can replace someone of Salah’s stature is by signing a ‘box office’ player.
Alan Shearer has no doubts that the Reds will replace their departing superstar. But the Newcastle United icon thinks it’s the right time to walk away.
Liverpool have put together some of their favourite moments from Salah’s nine years at Anfield.
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What is your favourite? Let us know in the comments.
Steven Gerrard has put it on a postcard. He said:
“You have to buy someone who is box office, or you are not replacing him.
“They have to be top-end, top three (or) four wingers in the world to replace Mo Salah because that’s what Mo has been.”
Paul McDonald from FootballTransfers.com has compiled a list of players Liverpool could sign to replace Salah.
The parameters of looking at what players perform well in terms of Salah’s strengths, last season. (SciSports). there are no restrictions in age or money but Liverpool tend to target players towards their peak between 24-28. Their words not mine.
Age: 24, Estimated value: €129million (£114m).
Olise is one of a number of players who has been linked with Liverpool as a “dream” replacement for Salah, and SciSports rates him as their best option with a SciSkill of 134.2.
The London-born France international, who boasts extensive Premier League experience with Crystal Palace, has seen his reputation grow exponentially since moving to Bayern Munich 18 months ago and is in the middle of a stunning campaign on both an individual and team basis.
With 16 goals and 27 assists, he is providing the type of attacking output that Liverpool need to adequately replace Salah.
Age: 21, Estimated value: €66.6million (£57.5m).
Savinho has been the subject of transfer speculation since last summer, when the young Brazilian was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham.
He’s spent long periods of the season on the bench, suggesting that he could be made available for sale at the right price, and City have not been shy about offloading players to their Premier League rivals in the past.
While SciSports reports that Savinho is already of the standard of a first-team player at Anfield and has the potential to become the best at the club, it would be seen as a gamble if they were to replace Salah with a player only deemed good enough to start five Premier League games this season for their habitual title rivals.
Age: 22, Estimated value: €37.6million (£32m).
While Liverpool are more regularly linked with Yan Diomande, SciSports believes that RB Leipzig club-mate Johan Bakayoko is a closer fit to Salah.
The 22-year-old Belgium international was once one of the most hyped young players in the game, yet the move to Leipzig from PSV last summer has not confirmed that. Since making a disappointing start to life in the Bundesliga, he has scored only three goals in 18 appearances across all competitions and has been forced into a regular role as a substitute.
He is, however, a player that Slot will know well from his time in the Netherlands. He still has a high ceiling, but will that be enough for Liverpool?
Age: 21, Estimated value: €56.7million (£48m).
Brighton winger Minteh showed Liverpool what he was capable of on Sunday as he was deployed against Jeremy Frimpong and dismantled the Dutchman with his pace and trickery.
He would interpret the role on the right in a different manner to Salah, though. He is more of a traditional winger and does not weigh in with the same number of goals or assists as the Egyptian. That’s not to say this is not a talent he cannot develop, with his expert cross to Jack Hinshelwood fashioning the Seagulls’ winner against the Reds.
His industry is also impressive. He’s known for his tracking back, which is a quality that Salah has rarely shown.
SciSports believes that Minteh has extraordinary potential, even capable of becoming one of the best in the world if he can reach his ceiling.
Some of the other names not mentioned, but have been linked by the rumour mill are Francisco Conceicao and Yan Diomande.
Every Friday, the Blood Red newsletter will bring you insight, news and everything in between. If you have any topics to discuss, get involved in the comments, reply to this email or you can email me, stephen.killen@reachplc.com and I will take on board your feedback or questions.
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