05 Oct 2021 10:35:34
Salah is the man, but teams need to learn from the mistakes of others.
Arsenal gave Auba and Ozil, a mega contract at a similar age as Salah, and before you knew it, they were no longer firing on all cylinders. Same with Falcao and Sanchez at ManU.
Personally want Salah to stay, but not at any cost.
05 Oct 2021 11:07:57
That's not without merit, but and maybe I'm being naive, I don't see Salah going that way unless someone does his knee in or something.
Fitness-wise, the man's physique is not far off Ronaldo territory, and he uses his movement and quick feet to make room for himself as much as his outright speed. So I don't think he'll go into significant decline based on fitness until he's at least 33. And he doesn't strike me as the type to just lose interest and stop trying. I see no reason why he can't give us another 4 years at a very high level.
And, again, I still have doubts about the veracity of this £500k figure the tabloid media came up with.
We'll see what happens I guess.
{Ed014's Note - I’d say his current fitness is way above that of Ronaldo’s who is simply about physique rather than fitness.
Salah has way more movement, work ethic and pace than Ronaldo and is currently the better player for me.
I also can’t seeing him doing what the aforementioned players did and are doing.
05 Oct 2021 11:20:36
Falcao was only on loan at United for a year. He was having to recover from a devastating injury and adapt to a different country and league and culture at the same time. Not sure how he's relevant to Salah's situation.
05 Oct 2021 11:34:08
Falcao also got going again. He scored 30 goals for Monaco the season after he'd been at Chelsea and helped them to the CL semi final.
05 Oct 2021 11:52:35
it's probably everything that the people who make these decisions are considering. whatever we pay him now will be largely in recognition of who Salah is now, and not what he would be by 2025. I am veering towards thinking that the risk is worth it in the hope that he is mentally as strong as CR7 and Messi to perform at this level for the next 4 - 5 years. And you know what, it'd be about time we had someone like that at the club who commits their peak years with us. Stevie doesn't count cos he local!
05 Oct 2021 11:53:54
Salah is cut from a different cloth than them players who signed new contracts with respective clubs, he has already become a European, premier league an world champion, and his numbers prove goalscoring, assisting is in his blood . Get the thing signed please!
05 Oct 2021 12:38:31
I don't think the OP was directly comparing Falcao to Salah, more just making a point that tying players to lucrative, long term contracts is not without risk. Also, no one can say what Salah will do once it is signed or if he will get an i jury etc, hence why it is a risk. I obviously want Salah to stay but don't agree the club should be held to ransom. If he wants to stay, a middle ground will be found, if he doesn't, the club will receive a significant fee. let's not forget, this is the same club who are working by the 'hand-to-mouth' model as Ed002 calls it, who's to even say we can afford his salary. The club may be desperate to keep him, but if the money isn't there, the it won't be done.
05 Oct 2021 14:12:13
If it was based on performance bonuses we'd be bankrupt after last weekend, world class player and will be for years .
05 Oct 2021 14:18:58
The options are:
(1) sign him long term on what he wants.
(2) sell him, but at a significant hit as he’ll only have a year left in the summer and his age.
(3) he sees out his contract and leaves.
The risk with (1) is an Arsenal situation like they have with Aubemeyang and had with Ozil. However, equally he could carry on at the rate he is doing in the same way that Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski are, Auba and Ozil are hardly known for their work ethic and dedication, whereas Salah is the consummate professional and looks after himself extremely well. There is also the extra financial burden it will bring, but if you want top players, paying them the top salary is a consequence of that.
The risk with (2) and (3) is that even if we sell we will struggle to be able to afford to bring in a forward of equivalent quality, even if we have any sale proceeds as he’s not likely to bring in enough to adequately replace, I can’t see us getting more than £40-50m next summer at best and there’s no 20 goal a season forwards out there at that price.
05 Oct 2021 22:32:47
VVVV even with a year left, I think we will still get min circa £80m. just look at Mbappe offer from Madrid. If there is a slight chance a team can get ahead of a rival for a player, they'll stump up.
06 Oct 2021 02:06:08
I see no issue signing a reasonably long term contract at 29. He's super fit and is in his prime, there is no reason that prime can't last a while yet.
06 Oct 2021 10:05:18
Salah deserves every fecking penny. Arsenal? give me a break.
06 Oct 2021 11:20:49
If we are so worried about his worth in 2023, then I think we would sooner keep him until he can leave on a free than sell him. I'd be ok with that.
06 Oct 2021 17:45:51
I remember being upset because Keegan left although i don't think i'd really seen him play. That worked out ok though didn't it. 1979 Panini football sticker album and the fabric club badges. Some great perms on that Liverpool page. What a group of players. First trip to Anfield 1995 vs York City Fa cup 5th round replay. Wasn't necessarily a massive game but remember the awe of entering the stadium for the first time - just happy to be there.
06 Oct 2021 18:13:01
All I can say here is that with what Salah is doing on the pitch right before our eyes, the club is going to have a really HARD time explaining to the fan base as to how they couldn’t reach a deal with a certified PL Legend who still has a lot in the tank to give.
Comparing him to Falcao or Auba is just laughable. We all know Auba is a money grabber who only played well at the end of that season cos he was playing for a new contract while Falcao was not even fit to play for Utd at the time. Salah is none if these players and miles better than them at the same age. Just saying.
06 Oct 2021 18:22:26
I don’t think Salah is playing this good and his this much drive to get a bumper pay deal, I think he puts so much effort in because he wants to score goals and win things.