Mohamed Salah will be very challenging to replace when he inevitably leaves Liverpool. One wonderkid must be on the list even though it already appears out of reach.
Over the previous ten years, Mohamed Salah has established himself as a genuine jewel. The Liverpool talisman is somewhat of a unicorn in the world of football due to his exceptional profile and range of skills, which have helped him establish himself as one of the finest players in Premier League history.
Salah has contributed to 139 goals and 60 assists in England’s top division since joining Liverpool from AS Roma in the summer of 2017. He is currently just one goal away from reaching the 200-goal milestone. With almost 19,000 minutes of action at Anfield, the African attacker has been a true output merchant, scoring or providing an assist every 93 minutes
Salah is swift over the ground and quicker than almost all of his opponents, which explains why he’s so dangerous and challenging for the opposition to contain in addition to his unique ability to deliver significant rewards in the final third. He is left-footed, in contrast to the majority of players in Europe, which is another strength that he shares with Lionel Messi.
According to StatsBomb, about 75% of players have right feet, and of the 870 passes that are made during a typical Premier League match, about 66% are made with a player’s right foot, making Salah a relatively unique superstar even before considering his attacking prowess and his incredible speed.
The number 11 for the Reds is the ultimate forward since he has access to practically every tool in the book, including inventive passing, penetrating runs behind opposing defenses, unpredictable dribbling, and everything in between. He is a real celebrity, although he is now 31 years old.
Salah’s current deal is set to expire in 2025, thus Liverpool may decide to sell him at the end of the coming summer. Salah won’t be able to keep producing on Merseyside indefinitely. In fact, At-Ittihad made an attempt to recruit him to Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago by making a verbal offer of about $188 million (ÂŁ150 million/€175 million) for his services.
Reds rejected the offer, but Klopp might be more receptive to a sell in a year.
The search for Salah’s prospective replacement is probably already beginning, making it nearly impossible for Liverpool to replace him. With all of Klopp’s offensive options currently being right-footed, finding another version of him will be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
All four of Liverpool’s recent additions—Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Wataru End—are right-footers, with midfielder Harvey Elliott being the only other left-footer at the team who isn’t a defender. Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Luis Dáz, and Darwin NĂ©z are also right-footers.
A true heir to Salah’s reign may have materialized over the course of the most recent international break, albeit it remains to be seen who will be named as a solution. Lamine Yamal, a player for the Spanish national team, made his debut, and to say that he attracted attention would be an understatement.
He became the youngest player in his nation’s history at the age of 16 and 57 days, and he was a terror for the opposing defense. The adolescent is left-footed, extremely quick, and incredibly effective when he engages opponents on the dribble, showing off real technical skill and rapid footwork to go towards the penalty area.
The fact that Yamal is under contract with Barcelona, though, is a major issue. The Spanish powerhouses will do every effort to keep him at the Nou Camp since he appears to be the next great thing as a wonderkid with the potential to succeed Messi.
This season, Yamal has started three of Barcelona’s four La Liga games, relegating players like Raphinha to the bench, which is fairly amazing given his age. Even though he appears to be out of reach for a deal for Liverpool in the near future, the Reds must undoubtedly keep an eye on him in order to maintain track of his future. He might be one of the select few with the credentials to become the next Salah on the international arena.
Since Messi had to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 because the Catalan club could not afford to keep him, Barcelona has a reputation for having financial problems. Although Yamal seemingly has no chance of following him out the door, nothing in football is certain.
Overall, the presumed successor to Salah’s throne made a significant statement over the break. He will undoubtedly be familiar to Liverpool, but it is highly improbable that Klopp will be able to lure him to Merseyside any time soon.
