Whatever the future holds, post football, for Mohamed Salah, we can immediately dismiss the idea he will pursue a career in negotiations.
Outside St Mary’s, as Liverpool’s unexpected title challenge gathered more momentum with a come-from-behind beating of Southampton, the hero of the hour did something he’s never done in seven years at the club – actively sought out journalists to conduct an interview.
Usually, it goes one of two ways when you see Salah in these situations.
The first is like a good-natured pantomime – ‘Come on, Mo! You know want to do two minutes!’ we’d ask. ‘Next time, guys! Next time!’ he’d reply – that finishes with a chuckle as he breezes past; the second (especially if he hasn’t scored) begins and ends with a glare from him that says: don’t ask.
Salah is like the Scarlet Pimpernel when it comes to dealings with the press, so much so that there was a point not long ago when his team-mates couldn’t fathom how he basically made himself exempt from doing Champions League press conferences, no matter what requests were made.
This gives context to the significance of the situation outside St Mary’s. Salah actually had something to say. And as he spoke, he was going to prove he would be a lousy poker player as he showed his hand without any pressure.
Mohamed Salah’s plea will not benefit him or the club with such a difficult run coming up
He said no progress had been made on contract talks after Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Southampton
‘I am more out than in,’ he announced, less than an hour after his double had taken him to within five goals of matching Billy Liddell’s tally of 228, which puts the Egyptian fifth on the all-time list. Liddell is a mystical figure in Liverpool’s history. For Salah to be in the same orbit, seven years after making his debut, is staggering.
It makes for brilliant copy, a beauty for a back page, but for Arne Slot and his progressive team, the timing is lamentable. There is no dressing it up any other way: it is a selfish act ahead of 10 days in which games against Real Madrid, Manchester City, Newcastle and Everton will shape the season.
He’s been nibbling away all season that not everything in his garden is blooming. There was an eye-popping interview with Sky Sports after a 3-0 win at Manchester United in August, then a cryptic Instagram post the day after his howitzer of a strike turned a game against Brighton four weeks ago.
Perhaps he and agent Ramy Abbas Issa thought they could put pressure on Liverpool with these episodes: they had captured the hearts and minds of supporters, who were more than happy to an issue an SOS (Secure Our Salah) with his contract seven months from expiry. But this third incident smacks a little of desperation.
You may read that and anticipate a character assassination will follow but nothing could be further from the truth. This observer has seen plenty pull on a red shirt in the last four decades but he is in my top three. He is extraordinary, a scorer of great goals AND a great goalscorer.
I’ve been to Nagrig, the village between Alexandria and Cairo where he was born, and understand the work he had put in to just get out of Egypt, let alone making himself a global icon. His journey will be used an inspiration to show what is possible with a dream, desire and dedication.
It is possible, too, to have sympathy for him. Liverpool are now in an almighty pickle because they took leave of their senses in 2023, when Jurgen Klopp’s tank began to empty and the interim sporting director Jorg Schmadtke didn’t look into the future.
There was a lot of upheaval back then and circumstances meant Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk slipped through that crucial two-year window when their contracts should have been renewed – or, at the very least, discussions should have started.
Liverpool should have acted sooner to deal with the dwindling time left on his current deal
But Fenway Sports Group deal in black and white, financially speaking – they will not simply bow down to fan pressure to increase Salah’s wages given that he turns 33 next year
Salah should step back and appreciate what he has, though you can feel sympathy for him
The club should have also started talks with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk earlier
They would have to spend extraordinary sums on a star like Lamine Yamal or Vinicius Jr to replace Salah
Arne Slot now finds himself trying to quell a storm which he has had no hand in making
The three totems have all dealt with the situation in their own way but Salah breaking loose now and saying what he has done has created such a storm that you wonder whether the club will be able to calm it at all. If he thought this was going to secure him a successful resolution, he’s living in fantasy land.
Fenway Sports Group won’t do what fans are demanding and just ‘give him the money’; the situation isn’t that easy. They see things in a black-and-white way when a player goes beyond 30 and they rarely give men in that bracket increased terms.
Whether you agree with it or not, they will see Salah – who turns 33 two weeks before his contract expires in June – and question why, for arguments’ sake, they should invest £60million over three years for a player who, naturally, will become less effective the older he becomes.
On the Kop, they will argue that £60m represents good value because it would take double that and more to bring in a suitable replacement – it would need someone such as Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal or Vinicius Jnr of Real Madrid to placate Salah leaving, but neither of those would be available.
All the while, as the situation gets debated and arguments rage, you go back to Salah and think about what he said. Selfish? For sure. Liverpool didn’t need a soap opera but Slot, through no fault of his own, now finds himself front and centre, having to deal with never-ending questions.
But you wonder whether there is also some insecurity. Does Salah actually want to leave? He’ll never have it as good as he’s got it at Anfield, with the team set up enabling him to flourish and the fans feting his every step. For the first time, however, Salah has put a foot out of place.
Will it be resolved? Not at the moment. It’s not too late for an about-turn, but to do that requires reconciliation. He’s been very good at looking at the picture from his own perspective but if Salah steps back and appreciates what he’s got, he’ll understand the folly of his rare words.
