Topic: Mohamed Salah - Best in the World *

[Jm55]

No idea mate but not every player is as good as or will be as good as him. I just hope all parties involved reach an acceptable compromise.

Guaranteed people will expect club to spend money on transfers over the next couple of windows even though we are better off keeping players like VVD, Salah, Alisson etc.

We need to continue to spend money on transfers but probably only to the level that we currently arras

Personally I’d be happy if we renewed Mo’s contract and made 1 or 2 sensible additions each summer, we’d obviously need to make a decision on Mane and Firmino and recruit accordingly depending on what decision we come to (I suspect that we’ll keep Mo and one will go within the next 18 months).

No need for major additions and I don’t think many sensible people ever really thought that it was needed, just a gradual recruitment of new players to keep things fresh and the average age down, Konate seems an excellent signing based on Sunday.

[The G in Gerrard]

We need to continue to spend money on transfers but probably only to the level that we currently arras

Personally I’d be happy if we renewed Mo’s contract and made 1 or 2 sensible additions each summer, we’d obviously need to make a decision on Mane and Firmino and recruit accordingly depending on what decision we come to (I suspect that we’ll keep Mo and one will go within the next 18 months).

No need for major additions and I don’t think many sensible people ever really thought that it was needed, just a gradual recruitment of new players to keep things fresh and the average age down, Konate seems an excellent signing based on Sunday.

Agreed buying one or two players each summer makes sense especially with youngsters like Jones and Elliott around already.

It'll be interesting what happens in respect Bobby and Sadio. I get moving players on when required. I just think this is a completely different situation than Gini for example.

[CHOPPER]

So how far do we go?

£500, 000

£750, 000

1 million?

I'm struggling to believe what I'm writing, that's per week 

How highs a piece of string?

[Max_powers]

The problem is that football wages are being determined by oil clubs. The rest have to match up to that to keep competitive.

Revenues in football are not going to keep growing forever. Clubs are already trying to squeeze every penny out of sponsorship deals and ticket prices.

What's the fair value of Salah to a club like us? It's not an easy question.

Around 300-400k p/w is probably the answer.

That translates to ~80-100million outlay over the next 5 years.

We can let him run down his contract, get to keep till age 31 and let him go for free.

Or we can sell him next year for ~100+million.

Or we can sign him on a 4 or 5-year contract and get to keep him till age 34-35.

Will Salah aged 33 or 34 be an elite player? Yes. Will he be performing to the same level he is now? Hard to say, but likely no. Even Messi and Ronaldo started to drop off at that point and were becoming more one-dimensional.

Will we still be a Champions League team without him? Probably yes.

Will we be competing for the League or CL without him? Probably no.

[dutchkop]

The problem is that football wages are being determined by oil clubs. The rest have to match up to that to keep competitive.

Revenues in football are not going to keep growing forever. Clubs are already trying to squeeze every penny out of sponsorship deals and ticket prices.

What's the fair value of Salah to a club like us? It's not an easy question.

Around 300-400k p/w is probably the answer.

That translates to ~80-100million outlay over the next 5 years.

We can let him run down his contract, get to keep till age 31 and let him go for free.

Or we can sell him next year for ~100+million.

Or we can sign him on a 4 or 5-year contract and get to keep him till age 34-35.

Will Salah aged 33 or 34 be an elite player? Yes. Will he be performing to the same level he is now? Hard to say, but likely no. Even Messi and Ronaldo started to drop off at that point and were becoming more one-dimensional.

Will we still be a Champions League team without him? Probably yes.

Will we be competing for the League or CL without him? Probably no.

is this his agent & Mo trying to gel up the market and see what he is worth. Or press having a laugh.

[Max_powers]

is this his agent & Mo trying to gel up the market and see what he is worth. Or press having a laugh.

Like mentioned, the market is not rational. I am sure he can get 500k+ p/w at PSG once Mbappe leaves.

At Liverpool, we will have to weigh up all scenarios and live with the consequences.

[HeartAndSoul]

It’s a bit of a catch 22 with his contract situation. Obviously you want him to sign a new contract but what happens if he signs a new contract and over the next 2 years Trent contract is up for renewal and he goes up another level? Surely he’d be expecting parity with our highest earner and if we offer him £400k a week then that’ll be the standard players will be expecting and it totally breaks the wage structure.

[Red Beret]

I struggle to believe that Mo would want £500k a week at LFC. I realise he's the best striker in the world right now, and that he knows it.  Indeed he's certainly worth that kind of money in today's market.  But for a guy who says he wants to finish his career with us I'd be gobsmacked if he didn't realise a demand like that might price him out of the club.

I mean let's face it, once you throw in win bonuses, silverware bonuses, and all the rest, it would probably work out a lot more than that. And it puts the rest of the wage structure out of joint. I remain to be convinced these reports are genuine.

[Barrow Shaun]

I struggle to believe that Mo would want £500k a week at LFC. I realise he's the best striker in the world right now, and that he knows it.  Indeed he's certainly worth that kind of money in today's market.  But for a guy who says he wants to finish his career with us I'd be gobsmacked if he didn't realise a demand like that might price him out of the club.

I mean let's face it, once you throw in win bonuses, silverware bonuses, and all the rest, it would probably work out a lot more than that. And it puts the rest of the wage structure out of joint. I remain to be convinced these reports are genuine.

I think, and hope, you're pretty much bang-on there.

[Red Beret]

I think, and hope, you're pretty much bang-on there.

So do I mate, so do I! 

[Johnny Foreigner]

Not too worried. he is the best player in the world now and really get his heart/head into the club. he will get a new offer which will be obscene in most peoples view; he is worth it though but if he (theoretically ) is pushing it too hard; so be it..

[newterp]

How highs a piece of string?

depends on how good the weed was.

[dutchkop]

Hopefully this is better news on Salah contract negotiations -

 this is a apparently  a reliable LFC journalist Source -  Bt maybe the experienced posters have another opinion about Romano as a source.

https://thisisfutbol.com/2021/10/news/liverpool-fabrizio-romano-issues-mohamed-salah-contract-claim/ 

[JackWard33]

Mane isn't in top 3 of our most important players though is he?

Also what does it say about the club if we have genuinely the best player in the world and sell him cause we can't agree a deal?

It would say we can’t afford his wage demands
It’s a football competition not a dick swinging competition
In a vacuum we can’t afford the top level of wages (mbappe / messi / neymar / haaland next summer etc) - i thought everyone realised that?

So it comes down to what he wants

I want him to stay but there are obviously limits to what we can pay and clearly we can pay less than elsewhere so it’s going to come down to whether he wants to stay or maximize his earnings 

[Wullie160975]

The people who would ‘give Salah what he wants’ … even if it’s double our next highest earner

What are they doing with Mane whose in exactly the same situation?

Say play like Salah and you'll get paid it

[Black Bull Nova]

While normal people who fork out for tickets to games feel the pinch. There are nurses laid off, teachers getting 'furloughed' etc etc etc. and plenty more who aren't even as lucky as that. It's all gross.

Totally agree, it's mad and in many ways obscene. I always take it with a pinch of salt when players say they want to stay but they also want top dollar. I took a pay cut to get the job I wanted many years ago. When Messi cried because he was forced to leave Barca, I am sure the tears were genuine but he's got enough money in the bank to play for free for as couple of years if he really wanted to stay.

Although the last couple of weeks have been joyous and have helped our season enormously, there is a part of me that wishes the contract negotiations had coincided with a short dip in form, not being elevated to worlds greatest player. If I thought he wanted it for just himself I would be more cynical but I do know he puts a lot back into his country and birthplace.

[drmick]

I wonder if they could do a deal like the one they did with LeBron James- tie him into the whole FSG institution as a brand ambassador for the future?

[Jon2lfc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6jptjEaE0k

some inside information

[Egyptian36]

LFC is bigger than any player. The give him what he wants talk is nonsense. If his agent demands is unrealistic we should not extend his contract it's not healthy for the club long term but I don't believe that's the case because he knows he wouldn't be the player he is now without what LFC did for him especially after his Chelsea experience.

[Cafe De Paris]

The more I think about the figures being quoted 400k/500k and on we go etc etc, the more I find it a bit obscene. But then actors regularly claim millions for a movie, successful business people make that money also so should we be arsed. He deserves that money as he is on par with those players that are the best in the world who are being paid that now. Why wouldn’t he want that. I hope the club and mo can reach an agreement somewhere in between.

[RainbowFlick]

Yeah I do, he's on enough. Equal to others is my limit.

the numbers are crazy, but you have to look at football in its own isolated light. these players are entertainers with a limited shelf-life. I feel your criticisms should be more rooted at the structure of football, the lack of proper regulation, and the 'new' money that has inflated everything (whether that's oil money or Sky Sports money).

Salah *should* be paid in the elite tier of football. Unfortunately, those sums are eyewatering but it is what it is. At some point football needs to correct itself otherwise clubs will be in trouble without oil money.

Even if players were paid more "normally", your concerns over nurses pay etc will remain - the hill to die on is getting nurses etc paid more, rather than trying to stop predominantly working-class players earning what is fair in the current state of the football industry.

At least with Salah he's earnt his money. Elon Musk... less so.

[Sharado]

The people who would ‘give Salah what he wants’ … even if it’s double our next highest earner

What are they doing with Mane whose in exactly the same situation?

Require him to post similar numbers to Salah, or offer him less money, or sell him. If we lost Mane now, I'd still back us to be competing for the league this season [it would of course be a significant blow and I don't want to pretend Mane isn't a cracking player because he is]. But if we lost Mo, I'd say we were fighting for top 4 at best.

I get the caution around 'give him what he wants' [though at times I myself throw that caution to the wind, and I probably have for the last 72 hours] but I do feel we are in a position Liverpool football Club have NEVER been in before, in that we have the best player in the world playing for us, posting numbers and doing things that are on another level entirely to the rest of the league  - even the history of the league.

I can absolutely see why we shouldn't really be bending to whatever he - or more specifically his slimy twat of an agent - wants. I can see why it is probably a bad business model moving forward....but at the same time HOLY FUCK HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?

It's hard to keep a cool head about.

[RainbowFlick]

LFC is bigger than any player. The give him what he wants talk is nonsense. If his agent demands is unrealistic we should not extend his contract it's not healthy for the club long term but I don't believe that's the case because he knows he wouldn't be the player he is now without what LFC did for him especially after his Chelsea experience.

£400k or so a week is not unrealistic for an elite player if we're honest. His agent is a knob though so I hope the club agree a new contract with Mo whilst requiring he stays well clear of the club 

ultimately when you take a step back and look at other players in his bracket, despite bonuses etc he is not being paid what he should.

he is the face of the league now and has Egyptians and the world watching us. there is value in that and we know he'll be going until he's at least 38. we can taper his salary as he gets older if required, but right now, pay him what he (in the context of elite football) deserves.

[stevieG786]

Reports that Mo is asking for £500,000 a week. If true I’m surprised Mo would go there, he seems a lot more humble than wanting to be paid obscene sums like Messi.
I believe we need to keep him at all costs tho so maybe he will get what he wants.

Bargain. Pay it.

he's worth atleast 800k a week, he is the best in the world afterall.

[Sudden Death Draft Loser]

Bargain. Pay it.

he's worth atleast 800k a week, he is the best in the world afterall.

 

Nonsense, no footballer is

[stevieG786]

Nonsense, no footballer is

no doubt, but football salries are ridiculous, Ronaldo gets paid 550k a week at United right? obscene amount of money.

[El Lobo]

They're worth what someone will pay, end of.

I wouldn't pay £650 for a gold plated steak but you know....if there are dipshits willing to buy it, good luck to you.

[newterp]

They're worth what someone will pay, end of.

I wouldn't pay £650 for a gold plated steak but you know....if there are dipshits willing to buy it, good luck to you.

You just realize the dental bills that you will avoid. Those other people aren't thinking the long game.

[VVM]

Totally agree, it's mad and in many ways obscene. I always take it with a pinch of salt when players say they want to stay but they also want top dollar. I took a pay cut to get the job I wanted many years ago. When Messi cried because he was forced to leave Barca, I am sure the tears were genuine but he's got enough money in the bank to play for free for as couple of years if he really wanted to stay.

Although the last couple of weeks have been joyous and have helped our season enormously, there is a part of me that wishes the contract negotiations had coincided with a short dip in form, not being elevated to worlds greatest player. If I thought he wanted it for just himself I would be more cynical but I do know he puts a lot back into his country and birthplace.

To be fair to Messi, La Liga have a rule where a new contract can't be less than 50% of the previous. If he was on 1m a week (blimey) then the minimum they legally had to give him to stay was 500k, which I believe he did agree to but they literally couldn't afford it.

[The G in Gerrard]

It would say we can’t afford his wage demands
It’s a football competition not a dick swinging competition
In a vacuum we can’t afford the top level of wages (mbappe / messi / neymar / haaland next summer etc) - i thought everyone realised that?

So it comes down to what he wants

I want him to stay but there are obviously limits to what we can pay and clearly we can pay less than elsewhere so it’s going to come down to whether he wants to stay or maximize his earnings 

There must be a middle ground.

We are one of the biggest clubs around. We have a player that wants to stay. Get it done
 There's really no reason (injuries aside) not too.

[Mister Flip Flop]

If we don't pay him he'll just end up at City, PSG or Newcastle that's the reality. It's not his fault the market it what it is. He's the best player in the world and he's looking at chumps like Grealish and De Gea getting paid more than him.

[CraigDS]

If we don't pay him he'll just end up at City, PSG or Newcastle that's the reality.

Is it? Has he shown much interest in playing for a despot club?

[Andy82lfc]

They're worth what someone will pay, end of.

I wouldn't pay £650 for a gold plated steak but you know....if there are dipshits willing to buy it, good luck to you.

I'm buying one for halloween, gonna eat it the day before, dress up as The Golden Goose and drop a turd right on the coffee table.

[Notorious IT]

These figures are absolutely horrifying. I understand its the way football is, but the way most of us struggle by week by week and then footballers demanding ever increasing amounts is disgusting. Its the way it is though, and its only getting worse, and we have to pay it.. 😄

[Mister Flip Flop]

Is it? Has he shown much interest in playing for a despot club?

I don't know do you? Maybe he doesn't care once he's getting 500k a week iv'e no idea.

[El Lobo]

I don't know do you? Maybe he doesn't care once he's getting 500k a week iv'e no idea.

You seemed pretty certain twenty minutes ago

If we don't pay him he'll just end up at City, PSG or Newcastle that's the reality.

[Schmarn]

Like it or not we live in a market economy. Comparing Mo’s wages to what a nurse or teacher earns is a specious argument. It isn’t greed to be paid what is fair in the market you’re employed in. 

I have no doubt Mo would take less than what he could get at PSG but how much less should we expect him to take? 50k a week less? 200k? It’s not really for us to judge.

I would like to think that both sides will compromise and we’ll get a deal. Not 500k but not 300k either. Personally I think he should be paid more than any other squad member. He’s the best player in the world.

[Kashinoda]

Erm, what in the fuck 

During Black History Month, we are celebrating the contribution players of African and Caribbean descent have made to the Premier League in each of the last 30 seasons. 2017/18 - Mohamed Salah

When Liverpool signed Salah in the summer of 2017, few could have expected just how much of an impact he would have in his first season.

During his previous spell in England with Chelsea, the Egyptian struggled to make his mark, making only 13 Premier League appearances and scoring twice.

And so, after two years in Italy with Fiorentina and Roma, when Jurgen Klopp brought him to Anfield in 2017 Salah returned to England with a point to prove.

It was quickly evident that Salah's fortunes would be different this time, and he scored an incredible 32 Premier League goals in 2017/18, a record in a 38-match season.

[Mister Flip Flop]

You seemed pretty certain twenty minutes ago

But it is the reality. He's not going to stay unless we give him the figures he wants. I wish he'd be happy with the already obscene amounts he's already getting paid but if he was he would have signed already

[villagelife]

Erm, what in the fuck 

Who dreamed this up, just totally unbelievable. He isnt of African descent, he is just African, and not very black.