On Friday night about 11 o’clock, the AXA Training Centre will let out loud sighs of relief.
Liverpool still has to wade through the torrent of ‘updates’ on Mohamed Salah’s future, despite the fact that the September 1 transfer deadline is rapidly approaching.
After Sunday’s thrilling comeback against Newcastle, in which Salah provided the game-winning assist to two-goal hero Darwin Nunez, manager Jurgen Klopp declared the subject settled. “The plot still unfolds? It has for me,” Klopp said on Sunday to Sky Sports.
When it comes to Salah’s future, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has had a busy few days of turning down offers. Although the manager tried to put an end to speculation at Friday’s news conference by saying the No. 11 was “100% committed,” he was nevertheless questioned about it during his pregame interview with Sky Sports.
Mo has a ton of expertise and is fully dedicated to the team. Klopp has said, “To be quite honest, I am not worried about [his leaving].
The word that Mo Salah is not for sale has been made public. much while the nature of the Saudi Arabian transfer deadline, which supposedly ends on September 7, is causing disquiet at Liverpool and throughout European sport, the private statements have been much more straightforward behind the scenes.
Reports of a ‘Monday deadline’ from Saudi Arabian media passed without incident, and on Wednesday there was further talk of a ‘unbelievable offer’ for the club and the player. Liverpool maintains the status quo, adding that the Saudi Pro League winners Al-Ittihad have not yet presented them with a proposal for Mohamed Salah.
Salah spent his day off on Monday visiting a museum in London, and on Wednesday he was back at the AXA Centre going through his pre-Aston Villa preparations with the bare minimum of fuss.
We have been informed that this guy would try to depart and it seems like he’s waiting until the last minute to do so. Despite rumors to the contrary, Salah’s actions say loudly about whether or not he plans to depart following six of the most successful years in his career.
The agent Ramy Abbas has been noticeably quiet in recent days after first shutting down speculations of a transfer earlier this month, and sources close to Salah have declined to comment either way on the speculation.
However, from Liverpool’s standpoint, there are just a few days remaining in the window, so any deal at this point would be unpopular with fans across the globe, regardless of how much money was exchanged.
Of course, one could also argue that Ittihad is only lubricating the gears for a move next year after realizing it will be impossible to sign one of the world’s most recognized players in the last hours of the European transfer market.
By then, Salah will be 32 and in the last year of a contract that makes him the highest-paid player in Liverpool history. At that point, the club as a whole will make a call. It seems like a lot easier choice right now.
And it’s interesting to note that many of the summer’s collective deals in the Saudi Pro League have already been made public, long before they were even close to advanced, lending credence to the idea that league officials are generally happy to talk to friendly journalists eager for the latest updates long before anything concrete develops.
Staff at Saudi Pro League clubs are reportedly difficult to work with this summer due to their propensity to “talk about everything” and “look to make something out of nothing,” according to ECHO sources in the Middle East. That could explain why rumors about Salah have persisted despite Klopp’s assurances.
With Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leaving for Al Ettifaq and Ittihad, respectively, and Luis Diaz, Alisson Becker, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez being linked to shock moves to the Middle East, it’s safe to assume that the Saudi Pro League apparently views Liverpool as a soft touch or a club who are more malleable to their transfer ambitions.
It’s easy to understand why the Reds would be seen as easier to do business with, given that Klopp has never been interested in keeping a wantaway player at the club against his will, and the kind of earnings on offer are enough to make the eyes wet for stars of the European game.
Liverpool are easy prey if their great players can be persuaded to go before the club’s decision-makers have a chance to formally reject bids. The Reds aren’t alone in that regard throughout Europe, but it seems that they must adapt to this new normal as the global soccer scene undergoes a peculiar transformation.
They would never agree to a deal like this. The ‘Egyptian King’ is the most important cog in Liverpool’s five-man attack, which has the potency to propel the Reds to a memorable season.
