Yahoo Finance Oi, FSG. It’s 'salah' not to give Salah a new contract
By Alywin Chew
Another week. Another wonder goal by Mohamed Salah.
Surrounded by three Watford defenders in the penalty box, the “Egyptian King” wriggled and shimmied his way out of trouble and created an opening out of nothing.
“Could this be a repeat of his goal against Manchester City?” I wondered.
But instead of taking the shot with his weaker right foot like he did against Man City, Salah did his classic feign to cut the ball back to his favoured left foot.
He let one loose. The Liverpool fans roared. I flung my beer can across the living room.
Even the match commentator went wild.
“Oh no you can’t do that again. Oh you can’t do that again,” exclaimed the commentator. “That’s beyond belief!”
Indeed, that goal was somewhat beyond belief.
With that 104th Premier League goal, Salah is now tied with Chelsea legend Didier Drogba as the highest-scoring African in the English league. He will surely go on to break the record. Mind you, there are 30 more matches left in the season.
Just how impressive is this record? Drogba took 254 games to hit that threshold. Salah took just 166.
Dear FSG, are you listening?
Break the piggy bank. Break the contract rules. It’s time to give this man what he wants.
Why? Here are some reasons why.
The man is reaching his peak
No, I do not think the 29-year-old has already hit his peak despite his recent exploits on the pitch. Even the man thinks so himself. Given that players today can sustain their peaks longer than ever before due to the advancements in sports science, we could very well see Salah play even more dazzling football in the years to come.
His stock is only going to rise further
Because he has yet to peak, Salah’s performance on the pitch is only going to improve, and what this means is that it will get increasingly difficult for FSG at the negotiation table. Tie him down now before his agent starts demanding half a million pounds a week.
He’s the best in Europe, maybe even the world
Is Salah the best footballer in the world right now? With Lionel Messi struggling to find his groove at PSG and Cristiano Ronaldo hampered by the bizarre tactics of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the only other player that could possibly compete with Salah for this title is Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski. You’d be splitting hairs to come to a conclusion, but the verdict is clear: he’s definitely one of the best.
Having such a player doesn’t just guarantee you goals – it also helps attract other world class players.
He’s already tried and tested
There’s no guarantee that Salah’s replacement could fit into the English League and Liverpool’s high-tempo style of play immediately. Getting into the groove could take time that the club cannot afford if it wants to win its next league title. Just look at Fabinho. He may be one of the most important players in the team today, but he took a long time before he was deemed ready.
Buying a striker from the same league doesn’t guarantee a shorter adaption period, either. Hello? Andy Carroll? Christian Benteke?
Klopp won’t be at the club forever
One of the arguments against tearing apart the current wage structure is that the club wants new players to join not for the money, but for the chance to learn “the Liverpool way” under the charismatic Klopp.
Thing is, Klopp isn’t going to be at the club forever. The German has already hinted that he might leave the club or even call it quits on football management when his contract runs up in 2024.
Will Liverpool be able to find another manager in the same ilk as Klopp? I very much doubt so. As such, it would be important to secure the likes of top players like Salah who already know the Liverpool ethos to 2025 and beyond. Can you imagine the gap left behind by a departing Salah and Klopp?
You don’t want him playing for our rivals
The worst-case scenario is not seeing Salah leave for free or for the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona. It’s seeing him leave for one of our rivals in the Premier League, just like how the legendary Robin van Persie left Arsenal for Man United.
Can you imagine the Egyptian joining Chelsea or City? That would put a major dent in our title hopes.
Also, do I need to remind you that the magpies are circling?
Newcastle could very well come calling if we don't tie him down to the club soon.
This article, "Oei, FSG. It’s salah not to give Salah a new contract", originally appeared on Football Siao – Singapore’s craziest EPL website.
