Topic: Mohamed Salah - Best in the World *

[Dench57]

This.

To be honest he’s possibly an option for West Ham if they don’t get the Lingaard deal done.

Wondering if we could do Salah + £25m for Bowen in a swap deal

[Barneylfc∗]

Wondering if we could do Salah + £25m for Bowen in a swap deal

Bowen to Liverpool, Salah to United, Lingaard to West Ham. 3 way deal, no money changes hands. Great deal all round.

[Nick110581]

Yes we are well past the point where we can expect £100m+ for selling Salah now, between his dwindling contract, getting older and his alarming dip in form. If we were going to sell him this summer, it will be for around £50m IMO.

If he could regain his pre-AFCON form for all of next season then I'd be happy to take the hit to keep him and lose him on a free in 2023.

Be lucky to get 10 million.

[newterp]

Be lucky to get 1.0 million.

[rob1966]

Fucking 2005 all over again but with 2 of them this time

[Sudden Death Draft Loser]

This.

To be honest he’s possibly an option for West Ham if they don’t get the Lingaard deal done.

 

Wondering if we could do Salah + £25m for Bowen in a swap deal

 

Bowen to Liverpool, Salah to United, Lingaard to West Ham. 3 way deal, no money changes hands. Great deal all round.

 

[classycarra]

Fucking 2005 all over again but with 2 of them this time

Hopefully we can tie up Mane soon.

Anything is possible but surely this makes leaving on a free the overwhelmingly likely option now

[newterp]

Fucking 2005 all over again but with 2 of them this time

not quite right - because each has a year left?

[rob1966]

not quite right - because each has a year left?

More the fact that we've got a huge game and all the chat is about our best players and transfers.

Hopefully we can tie up Mane soon.

Anything is possible but surely this makes leaving on a free the overwhelmingly likely option now

Both going on frees is looking the likely option now for me. I've not thought for ages Mo was going to sign and this just makes me think he's off after next season.

[classycarra]

Both going on frees is looking the likely option now for me. I've not thought for ages Mo was going to sign and this just makes me think he's off after next season.

Same on Mo, but I have a good feeling Mane's is agreed

[rob1966]

Same on Mo, but I have a good feeling Mane's is agreed

Just seen the interview clip with Vinny O'Connor and he's grinning his head off, so I feel better after seeing that, I think he will sign/has signed a new contract

[jepovic]

I think there is a fair chance he does leave on a free. But think of it the other way round, by not bumping him up to £300k a week on a new contact, that extra cash is saved and you get prime Salah for another year.

He won't owe us anything in that case, given his contribution.

That doesnt add up. Even doubling his salary from 200 to 400k would cost us 10M, which is far less than hes worth if we would sell him. Financially it would be idiotic

[Jm55]

Hopefully we can tie up Mane soon.

Anything is possible but surely this makes leaving on a free the overwhelmingly likely option now

Perhaps I’m overanalysing and drawing the conclusion that I want to from this but I think that if he was definitely off he wouldn’t be saying this.

I’d be fairly stunned if the club are 100% comfortable with him leaving on a free, that’s not to say that it won’t happen obviously, but I can’t imagine that they’d be accepting him saying things like ‘I’ll definitely be here next season’ if they knew he was going.

We’ll wait and see, either way I’m fairly comfortable with it if we’re getting another season at least out of him. One things for sure, the club aren’t mugs with money and he wouldn’t be saying this unless they were comfortable with whatever his plans are, so I’m fairly relaxed about it.

[newterp]

More the fact that we've got a huge game and all the chat is about our best players and transfers.

Both going on frees is looking the likely option now for me. I've not thought for ages Mo was going to sign and this just makes me think he's off after next season.

Ahh gotcha.

[rob1966]

Ahh gotcha.

If Mo says "how can I leave after this", he's getting volleyed in the collocks.

[Rosario]

I don’t think anyone thought Mo was leaving this summer so doesn’t really change anything in that regard. I’ve long thought he either signs here or goes on a free to PSG with the latter being the more likely option at this point.

[rob1966]

I don’t think anyone thought Mo was leaving this summer so doesn’t really change anything in that regard. I’ve long thought he either signs here or goes on a free to PSG with the latter being the more likely option at this point.

I'll be fucked off with him if he goes on a free, I'd rather he signed an extension on the understanding we allowed him to leave and at least got some money for it.

[redmark]

That doesnt add up. Even doubling his salary from 200 to 400k would cost us 10M, which is far less than hes worth if we would sell him. Financially it would be idiotic

£200k to £400k would be £10m per year; plus a signing bonus (another £10m? More?).

1) Let's say next season costs us existing ~£200k/week; £10m. No contract. No sale. £10m, for a year of Salah, at his peak, but then we have to replace him (with a year's advance notice).

2) Let's say a new contract, as above, signed now - £90m (or £100m), over four years. No sale. Four years of Salah; at £22.5m/year (or £25m), spread. Then he's 34 and we may want to replace him, whether we have to or not. We don't know for certain how long his peak will last. Have we really protected his sale value at all, when considering doubling his wages, if we later wanted to sell? Note, 2022/23 Salah now costs us £22.5m (or £25m) instead of £10m.

3) Let's say we sell him this summer (ignoring his comment that he's not leaving). £50m? £70m? More? Less? No Salah next year. We have to replace him immediately.

I think that's rather less clear cut than we usually think about a player running their contract down. We might have a player lined up, or even in the system we're happy to be taking that role in 12 months. The difference in cost to the club between running the contract down vs total cost of a new contract is ~£80m, not £10m. If you think he's still going to be world class at 34, that's not a bad deal - unless you have a better/cheaper alternative. But at this point, the chances are increasingly that his best season is the next one, not the one in three or four years. But arguably the best deal, with the most certainty, is having a 30 year old Salah for one season at a cost of £10m. That's ridiculously good value. Sure, we could sell (if he agrees) for £50m or so, but that would only make sense if we could replace him (at similar or lower cost) without significantly impacting performance.

This stuff is complicated. I don't mind what we choose to do as a club. If I had to choose one, I'd probably sort a deal for Mane (and it would be cheaper). The club will certainly have more nuanced and complex value and opportunity cost modelling than this, but it's not just the 'loss' of not selling him now vs leaving on a free.

[Black Bull Nova]

Not arsed, bigger things to think about.


Let Mohammed come to the mountain

[afc tukrish]

Not arsed, bigger things to think about.


Let Mohammed come to the mountain

Ibou is waiting...

[jckliew]

PSG would have come in to offer 50 mil for him IMO if Mbappe left. Now, there are fewer clubs able to afford him.
Most are in the Premier League. i doubt the club will sell to another Premier League club.

[smurfinaus]

You do have to wonder why he hasnt signed a new contract all this time....

[Johnny Aldridge]

I'll be fucked off with him if he goes on a free, I'd rather he signed an extension on the understanding we allowed him to leave and at least got some money for it.

January Transfer Window 

[Passmaster Molby]

Salah and Mane to be announced on new deals after the CL final to usher in the new Julian Ward era.

[-Willo-]

I do think the Mbappe £300m bonus after letting his contract run down will have a knock on effect for a lot of footballers around the world, maybe Salah is thinking another year to try win the Prem, then go to someone like Madrid for £100m+ signing on fee.

Would be a shame, but least we have him going into next season again, he will be incredible with a summer rest, plus a November rest with the world cup.

[M4tt]

Maybe he will sign in the summer after the season is finished. Lots of speculation and disrespect in here to one of our greatest ever players

[El Lobo]

I do think the Mbappe £300m bonus after letting his contract run down will have a knock on effect for a lot of footballers around the world, maybe Salah is thinking another year to try win the Prem, then go to someone like Madrid for £100m+ signing on fee.

Would be a shame, but least we have him going into next season again, he will be incredible with a summer rest, plus a November rest with the world cup.

Good luck with that one.

Mbappe is homegrown, 23, pretty much the 'new Messi', big chance to essentially monopolise the Ballon D'or for the next decade, and at a sportswasher who know they can spend what they want without getting punished. A 31 year old, as good as he is and will still be, isn't going to get a £100 million+ signing on fee.

[-Willo-]

Good luck with that one.

Mbappe is homegrown, 23, pretty much the 'new Messi', big chance to essentially monopolise the Ballon D'or for the next decade, and at a sportswasher who know they can spend what they want without getting punished. A 31 year old, as good as he is and will still be, isn't going to get a £100 million+ signing on fee.

Salah's condition means he is in his peak now, I highly doubt he drops off from now to 35/36, and I am sure teams are aware of that.

Even if it isn't £100m, he would nail £50m+ which is still ridiculous.

[El Lobo]

Salah's condition means he is in his peak now, I highly doubt he drops off from now to 35/36, and I am sure teams are aware of that.

Even if it isn't £100m, he would nail £50m+ which is still ridiculous.

Come on, even Messi and Ronaldo dropped off from 29 to 35/36. Forwards are clearly able to go into their mid-30s in great shape but it'd be pretty unique if there wasn't a drop off.

[redmark]

Come on, even Messi and Ronaldo dropped off from 29 to 35/36. Forwards are clearly able to go into their mid-30s in great shape but it'd be pretty unique if there wasn't a drop off.

Messi and Ronaldo were also allowed to play for much of that period of their careers increasingly disregarding any pressing/defensive duties, saving their physical effort for attacking, which isn't going to happen in a Klopp side.

At some point in the next few years - and no one knows whether it's next year or five years away, but the chances increase every year - Salah's value in our side becomes less than it might to some others who play in a different way.

[beardsleyismessimk1]

If he doesn't sign then we should sell. We aren't a one man team. The team evolves. We bag the purse and use it to our advantage by replacing him for a younger player who we can sign on a long contract and can grow with Jota, diaz Harvey and the new Portuguese lad. If we can get 50-60 million and replace him with Darwin nunez on a 6 year contract I would take that. With Bobby and Mane sticking around to hand over the reigns over the next few years ad they develop and grow and undoubtedly with a couple of more additions along the way.

[Caps4444]

If he doesn't sign then we should sell. We aren't a one man team. The team evolves. We bag the purse and use it to our advantage by replacing him for a younger player who we can sign on a long contract and can grow with Jota, diaz Harvey and the new Portuguese lad. If we can get 50-60 million and replace him with Darwin nunez on a 6 year contract I would take that. With Bobby and Mane sticking around to hand over the reigns over the next few years ad they develop and grow and undoubtedly with a couple of more additions along the way.

He doesn’t not have to leave even if we want to sell.  Why should he….he can get a much much higher wage and bonus if he stays one more year.

[beardsleyismessimk1]

He doesn’t not have to leave even if we want to sell.  Why should he….he can get a much much higher wage and bonus if he stays one more year.

He could also not play all season.  Klopp could think fuck it. He not staying. I need to evolve the team. Moreover he could get injured.  Things can take a change very quickly in football . If barca come in for him this summer offer us 55m then salah and the club would be mad not to take it if he is not signing a new contract. If he isn't signing a new contract and we are still able to buy his replacement if he is staying another season then if it was me I'd begin evolving the team and using him sparingly. 

[macmanamanaman]

There is no obligation for Mo to sign a contract to earn Liverpool a transfer fee.
If he feels he can earn more, get a new challenge in life, elsewhere after 2023, then it is his right to explore and do what he feels correct.

By the same token, Liverpool are under no obligation to bow to the wage demands from Salah´s camp, if indeed they are higher than our current wage structure permits.
I do believe this summer may well turn out to be a proper "testing of the waters" for both Mane and Salah where the club scopes out what are the transfer prices they can potentially command and the players scope out what are the realistic wages and contract lengths they can get if they move now Vs the additional signing on fee if they move as free agents.

I guess this is where having good commercially savvy agents pays off the the players, and having a competent commercial / contract team and committee pays off for the club.

For the fans, unfortunately, may mean a lot of press leaks, rumours, etc.
For what is, at its core, a pure business decision making process playing out over a few weeks.

If we win on Saturday, all of this would be much more palatable.
If we lose, then a little less so 

[Charlie Adams fried egg]

I'd like him to stay after next season, but could understand all parties stances if he didn't.

From his perspective, he'll be 31 at the end of next season, won it all with us in his 6 years and if he has another season like this one, will be very near the top 5 all time scorers. We know he's motivated by these things. But he may just want one final challenge before he calls it a day. Especially if he can get more money over a longer deal than we're willing to offer.

From our perspective, he's been outstanding value for a start. Even at £40m transfer fee and £10m per year over his 6 years, he's cost us £16m per season. In return over the 5 full seasons he's played for us we've seen an average of 50 games and 30 goals. We've had his peak years from 25-31 and while he looks capable of just carrying on, there is bound to be some level of decline from 31-35.

I'm not sure we'll look too much at opportunity cost of a transfer fee either because there'll be no book loss on him. Bear in mind we could cash in on VVD if we saw fit, but we've effectively tied him in until the end of his career because access to the player over a period of time at a known cost looks to be our main concern.

I hope some kind of compromise can be reached, but I won't let it worry me if it isn't,because there'll be sound reasoning on both sides.

[Caps4444]

There is no way he will be dropped because he won’t sign a contract…..no chance.  He’s a match winner.
At the same time, financially it’s probably to his advantage to see out his contract.  For sure he will double his wage and get a signing bonus for his new club.

He will be 31 next Summer, I can see why FSG are reluctant to give him a bumper contract…not sure how many years he’s wanting, I assume 4 from now taking him to 34.

Yes he’s fit and looks after himself….but nevertheless….age has its toll…and there is no way he will be the same Salah in 2 years time.

In hindsight all contracts need to be refreshed with 2 years remaining….if not then I think sell.

[lionel_messias]

That doesnt add up. Even doubling his salary from 200 to 400k would cost us 10M, which is far less than hes worth if we would sell him. Financially it would be idiotic

Well no, not really. The club has put an offer on the table for Mo, which we believe is worth in the region of £350k a week, over 5 years. That's well over £50 million worth all in. But he's not accepting it, and because his current deal is up June 2023, no one will pay what his is "worth" for a transfer which people would speculate at £90-120 million.

Smartly, he has said he is staying for next season, which suggests a transfer deal is very unlikely this summer. When you take out PSG and Man City, who is paying £90 million for him now, there is no one who can finance that, as things currently stand.

[Caps4444]

As a poster has mentioned, he’s won everything with Liverpool.

He’s not British, so no serious ties to the UK.

Hence if he’s looking to try playing in Spain, it makes sense for him to see out his contract and move on a free next Summer.

I almost feel he has probably made up his mind…..just a shame we won’t be getting a transfer fee from him.  Had we sold last Summer we could have got 100m+. Sure we wont have challenged….but 100m on transfers would have sorted us out.

[Caps4444]

Personally if we could sell him for 50/60m this Summer we should, but I don’t think he will leave.

[redmark]

He could also not play all season.  Klopp could think fuck it. He not staying. I need to evolve the team. Moreover he could get injured.  Things can take a change very quickly in football . If barca come in for him this summer offer us 55m then salah and the club would be mad not to take it if he is not signing a new contract. If he isn't signing a new contract and we are still able to buy his replacement if he is staying another season then if it was me I'd begin evolving the team and using him sparingly. 

Or next season, peak-Salah costs us a bargain £10m in wages and then we move on.