25 Aug 2023 14:32:10
Hypothetically of course if Salah was to leave now or in future, who is out there who could replace him? I'm thinking a left footed right winger. There's only one I can think of and he's gone to Real Madrid this window. Can't remember his name but people were calling him the Turkish messi. Apart from him I can't actually think of anyone ??‍♂️.

{Ed077's Note - Guler you mean. Saka is the obvious candidate but very very unlikely.

1.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 14:54:58
Personally I think Saka would relish the challenge of playing for a big club.

2.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 14:57:13
I think you'd just have to accept replacing him with someone inferior and instead use the money to do a big upgrade in another position. I'd be happy seeing Olise at Anfield next year.

3.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 15:05:20
We must be the only fan base in world football that is concerned with our wage bill over league position.

If Salah goes imagine how much money we save on a wage bill that was already almost reduced by 1 million a week.

4.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 15:24:25
Well, we've built the team around getting the best out of Salah. It may be true that there is no clear and obvious replacement. I'd suggest that means, when Salah goes, we likely change our tactics. Different type of winger and shift the focus of the attack elsewhere.

{Ed001's Note - but we haven't done that. I don't think you understand the tactics if you think they are built around getting the best from Salah. If they were, we wouldn't be playing the system we are doing.}

5.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 15:29:27
Here’s food VVD or thought. Would people be happy replacing the Salah we have no with the Salah we first bought? The point I’m making is when we bought Salah he was known to be a quick and tricky winger that was great on the counter and that was about it. Who would have thought a 10-15 goal a season pace machine would become one of our greatest ever players who technical ability, vision and passing ability is vastly underrated because people just think he is ‘fast’.
We won’t replace Salah with a like for like but we can find someone who might grow to that level. As Iv put on other threads and as stated above by another poster, I think Olise has some potential.

6.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 15:31:57
Sell Salah and Nunez and buy Mbappe.

7.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 15:37:29
its a tough one. Particularly if you are looking for a left footer in Salah's style. One thing is for sure, we cannot replace him this window and we are already down a DM and CB right now for title challenge. We cannot add this issue to the list and put our top 4 at risk.

But for the hypothetical question, I'm scratching Mbappe, Saka, Vinicus as completely unrealistic.

I think it was Ed001 who said the best option in my eyes. Ferran Torres. But I suspect with Dembele out of the picture he takes off at Barcelona and he will not leave Barcelona for Liverpool unfortunately. so, I'll scratch him as unrealistic for now aswell. Unless Barcelona are really scratching around for cash next year.

Diaby was my earlier shout and if he has a good Aston Villa then maybe. But its super hard to buy from prem clubs particularly ones as ambitious as Villa. But still. A maybe. If he proves himself at this level, then perhaps we go all out.

Guler is exciting but too young and not sure he will be elite at top level. Maybe he will. But too unsure.

Adeyemi, eh. he's good but overated in my opinion.

Chukweuze - eh, good physical attributes but too wild (brainless)

Sane - like his playing qualities and style but I don't trust him injury wise

Olise - eh. Not for me. I'm not saying he is not a good player. just not good enough. Perhaps another season of development will change my thought on that but I doubt it.

I think the best way to replacing Salah is a slight change of direction up top and we have just the man. Darwin Nunez. We need this man to strike gold as if he can become the 30 goal player who runs in behind, then Salah's position can become a 10/ 15 goal creator type player. Szobozlai is a midfielder for me all day and I'd keep him there. Elliot in the current squad could be an option. Just lacking that bit of pace I'd like. You could play Gakpo left and bring Diaz to the right with Nunez through the centre.

We'd still need a star player to come in that can play Salah's position. My choice would probably be Pedro Goncalves (with Ignacio) in a monster double deal.

{Ed002's Note - Guler has already moved this summer.}

8.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 15:55:03
Diaz on the right, Gakpo on the left, Nunez through the middle.
Spend the money on a new defence.

9.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 16:07:40
Just a thought, (wouldn't mind getting Ed's opinion as well) but we seem to be playing our wingers so far wide now that it might make some sense to un-invert them like back in the previous generations. The whole thing started to become popular with Bayern using Robben and Ribery that way because they were much more effective coming inside, and now its the most common way to use them.

But if we're keeping them wide, why not use Diaz on the right and Salah on the left so they can take their full-back on on their favoured foot and get into the box via the byline rather than through the middle of the pitch.

{Ed001's Note - it was used long before those players. Gary McAllister was one of the first to use it at Coventry City when he took charge there and took Richie Partridge on loan from us to use as an inverted winger.}

10.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 16:13:08
Thomas194, I like Olise but I think there are a lot better options than him. The players are out there like Chiesa (we'll see how he comes back this season from his nasty injury in the last 18 months), Saka or Khvaratskhelia are way better than him even tho, they would cost a lot.

11.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 16:17:23
Just adding to Davey's post, I also think Salah moving on would allow us to go to a 4-4-2 type formation. Nunez and Gakpo could be an excellent striker pairing if they played together, Diaz for me is more suited to a traditional winger (wide midfielder) position than a modern day wide striker in a 4-4-3.

Perhaps that even allows Trent to move into more of a Beckham type winger position on the right (which for me is better for him than central midfield), and you can bring a more defensively minded right-back in to take Trent's role.

12.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 16:22:01
Stoneage I think that’s awful idea personally
Diaz needs to play on the left for me
Gakpo needs to play central
In their best and most natural positions

Nunez would benefit from playing in a 2 I think ( again only my opinion )

But can’t see us changing tactics to suit 1 player but he will get games and goals regardless.

13.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 16:41:41
Agree Oli, Rafael Leao and Kvara are world class but they're both right footed. How many left footed wide players are even half as good as Mo apart from Saka? I can't think of anyone. I think signing someone like Kvara would be amazing but he would just be another right footed player who operates on the left, we're fine in that department.

Agree Ed but it hasn't really become the norm until relatively recently (same with the false 9 which realistically has been used since the beginning of time) . I just think we're so used to it now that we've forgotten wingers can still play on the outside

Also agree with NHFC, I think Nunez and Gakpo have all the qualities between them to be a perfect front two. But I just wonder if we can build a team to accommodate that or we keep the focus on using a 3.

{Ed001's Note - it became the norm a long time ago everywhere but the UK because we are always behind. The reason it changed is because of the obsession with possession everyone developed in copy of the Dutch idea of defending by keeping the ball so the opposition couldn't score. It is all about stats - crosses don't result in goals on a high percentage of occasions, so it is felt by most that it is better to keep possession instead. I think sometimes people should remember that you need to score to win games and that creating high quality chances should be the aim, not keeping possession of the football. If that is because you have a player who can cross the ball well, then I am with you, get them out wide to deliver as Robbo and Trent have done to rack up assists.}

14.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 16:55:33
I don't think you 'replace' Salah as such, but evolve the team accordingly. if there isn't a player out there to directly replace him, you purchase in other areas of the pitch to change the team tactically etc. We never replaced Gerrard, Alonso and all the other great players from the past because no two players are ever the same.

the beauty of football is seeing teams evolve over time and unearthing the next talent.

15.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 17:30:07
Imagine the number of goals John Barnes would have scored playing as an inverted winger, actually, imagine the number of goals John Barnes would have scored playing in this day and age full stop. He'd get Haaland like numbers.

16.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 17:34:16
Agreed Ed, and you don't necessarily have to lump crosses into the box for the big man anyway. Even better if you have a winger who can take his man on, get deep into the angle of the box and pull it back for a tap-in. You're right about possession thing as well, people don't shoot from distance anymore either and a lot of the individuality has gone out of the game. If the tactics aren't working you can always rely on an individual to bail you out with a bit of magic, but those types of players are few and far between now. I feel like sometimes we've overcomplicated the game to the point where its counter productive.

{Ed001's Note - it is becoming boring and lacking in flair and excitement. Too much tactics and not enough fun.}

17.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 18:11:43
Someone who could be signed and I rate highly is Jarrod Bowen. I think he'd score and assist plenty playing for us. Not salah numbers of course but not many if any could and the ones that would get close (saka) wouldn't come to Liverpool i doubt even if we could afford him.

18.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 18:21:34
Johan Bakayoko looks like a player who could slot in well into Salahs position. He's only 20, fast, good feet, left footed, plays on the right and has good output numbers. He's outperforming his expected goald and expected assists. I hope we're interested in him regardless if salah leaves or not.

19.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 18:55:53
I’d love klopp to go 4-4-2
I think it probably suits or players more with or without salah

Easily play szoboslai right midfield
Diaz left gakpo Nunez central

Will never happen as klopp and pep the inventor of everything good in football are too stubborn and in peps case believes his own hype I think .

But I think it could get more from some of the existing players that we have.

20.) 25 Aug 2023
25 Aug 2023 19:09:22
I wouldn't buy anybody to replace salah, give elliot and doak a rattle at it