VERDICT
Mohamed Salah’s new deal at Liverpool must signal a change of policy from FSG.
After the Merseyside club announced that star attacker Salah has signed a new long-term contract at Anfield, fans will be delighted that they’ve managed to secure the future of their best player after his record-breaking 44-goal season in the last campaign.
?https://t.co/rOomo5etrN pic.twitter.com/74X1J2acTl
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 2, 2018
But have they?
Over the last few years, long-term contracts at Liverpool haven’t necessarily meant a long-term stay at the club. First, there was Luis Suarez, who scored 31 goals in 33 games in their fateful 2013/14 almost Premier League winning season. The Uruguayan signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal in December 2013 as they secured the future of their best player. Or so they thought.
Just six months later, the fan’s hearts were broken when Suarez joined Spanish side FC Barcelona for a reported £73million in July 2014 (TransferMarkt). The new contract helped the club get the maximum fee for the striker but it drew criticism from fans that FSG were making Liverpool a selling club.
History would repeat itself in January of this year when star midfielder Philippe Coutinho was sold yet again to FC Barcelona, this time for a reported fee of £112million (TransferMarkt), despite signing a five-year contract just 12 months earlier. Although the Brazilian’s exit was made slightly easier for fans by the 26-year-old’s open desire to move, it still left a bitter taste for most of the Anfield faithful.
And now it’s Salah’s turn. He’s signed a new five-year contract with no release clause, to try and stave off interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. FSG must now stay strong and refuse to sell the Egyptian, even if the big clubs come calling.
If the owners truly want Liverpool to grow as a club, they must not sell Salah, or they risk being known as a feeder club for the European giants. They almost won the league with Suarez, then they sold him. They almost won the league with Coutinho, then they sold him. They must now aim to win the league with Salah and keep him. If they do, they might just become one of Europe’s elite once again.