Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has weighed in on Mohamed Salah’s contract situation at Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah’s contract with Liverpool will have a year remaining after the ongoing season, and the club are desperate to convince him to sign an extension. However, the Egyptian international, who has spent five glorious years at Anfield and has been their best player during that period, is demanding a massive pay rise.
The 29-year-old reportedly wants to earn £400,000-a-week at Liverpool, but the club are yet to meet his demands. This season, Salah has been one of the world’s best players, scoring 28 goals across competitions for Liverpool, 20 of which have come in the Premier League.
Salah’s current form has prompted former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, to term him a ‘mixture of Ronaldo and Messi’ while urging the Liverpool owners to meet the player’s demands. The Frenchman also added that the Liverpool forward was the world’s best player from August 2020 to January 2021 when he helped Egypt to the Africa Cup of Nations final.
“£400,000-a-week? Look, every situation is different and separate,” Wenger told beIN Sports (h/t Liverpool Echo). “You have to look at the medical record of the player. Never misses a game. You would do it. It depends as well on the physical qualities. If he’s quick, very quick, and he loses a bit, then he is still quick.”
"He's a mixture between Ronaldo and Messi!" ???
Arsène Wenger is in no doubt what he would do with Mo Salah's contract if he was at Liverpool.
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“If he’s already limited and slow, then you wouldn’t do it. Mo Salah, you would do it. He is a mixture of Ronaldo and Messi. He can run with the ball and give the final ball. I think he has improved a lot in giving the final ball.”
“From August up until the Africa Cup of Nations, he was certainly the best player in the world. I have seen him score goals this season that are exceptional. On his own as well. Salah and (Sadio) Mane, you wouldn’t want to lose them because they become stars with Liverpool. Part of their history now.”
While Liverpool continue to engage in contract talks with Salah’s entourage, they have also identified possible replacements. They have prepared a four-player shortlist with Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio, Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry and Paris Saint-Germain’s Angel Di Maria on it.
