SUMMARY
- Michael Edwards wants to sell Mohamed Salah to Saudi clubs.
- The new CEO has shortlisted three players to replace the Egyptian.
Mohamed Salah has arguably been Liverpool’s best forward in this century. The Egyptian has defied everyone’s expectations with his wonderful performances since he arrived at Anfield in 2017.
The 31-year-old is the third all-time top scorer for ‘The Reds’ with 209 goals in his first 340 appearances. A serial winner, Mohamed Salah has won the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League, and an FA Cup amongst many other titles.
🇪🇬👑 Mohamed Salah becomes first Liverpool player to score 7 goals in a single Champions League group stage campaign 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/CliA7u0wUa
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 7, 2021
However, it looks like his time at Liverpool might soon come to an end. The Saudi clubs have been monitoring the Egyptian for quite some time now and the advent of Michael Edwards as the new club CEO might facilitate his exit soon. The new CEO has already found three replacements for the Egyptian who are all very exciting players with different profiles.
Three players could fill Mohamed Salah’s shoes
Michael Edwards looks to cash in on an aging Mo Salah to bring in some youth talents to lead Liverpool into their new era. The Englishman has thus shortlisted three terrific young talents who have dominated their respective leagues.
The first player on Michael Edwards’ list is the German attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz. The 20-year-old has impressed the soccer world with his dribbling, passing, and outrageous vision in picking out his teammates on the pitch.
Florian Wirtz has had a great 23/24 season, with 8 goals and 10 assists in 28 games for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. A very versatile player, Wirtz can also operate as a left-winger if needed.
Florian Wirtz.
That’s it, that’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/cXs5z6btlI
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) April 6, 2024
Pedro Neto can also be considered for the position of Mohamed Salah. The Portuguese has been a very important player for the Wolverhampton Wanderers, leading their forward line for the Premier League side since 2019.
The 24-year-old winger is one of the most creative players in the Premier League, with 9 assists in the Premier League alone which is the second-highest in England’s first division. Moreover, Pedro Neto has shown extreme tenacity and great skills on the ball which makes him one of the most exciting prospects in the Premier League.
The third player on the list is a player is someone who has been way under the radar. Michael Edwards is believed to be very interested in signing Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams. The 21-year-old has been one of the best players in La Liga for the past few seasons and has impressed with his immaculate maturity at such a young age.
🚨🚨| Pedro Neto scoring a wonderful goal against West Bromwich Albion.
pic.twitter.com/RiAprEQ4PP— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) January 28, 2024
The Spaniard has accumulated a G/A of 11 in his first 24 appearances for Bilbao in the 23/24 season and might be a great candidate to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.
Statistically, Florian Wirtz is the best among the three players shortlisted by Michael Edwards. The German is way ahead of both Nico and Pedro Neto in terms of goals and assists and winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in the 23/24 might boost his candidacy.
However, in our opinion, Liverpool should not be moving for the German player. The player is not of a similar profile as Mohamed Salah, as he rather likes to operate centrally unlike the Egyptian who likes to stay out wide. Moreover, FC Bayern Munich is said to have been interested in signing Florian Wirtz, and ‘The Reds’ would want to steer away from a bidding war.
Nico Williams solo goal 🔥#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/b3CsDhEljl
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) April 8, 2024
Therefore, between Nico Williams and Pedro Neto, the Spaniard looks to be the favored player. Nico Williams has superior pace and physical strength over Pedro and has led Athletic Bilbao to their latest Copa Del Rey victory in 2024. Moreover, Pedro Neto’s injury record might be a concern for ‘The Reds.’
He would certainly be a great fit for Liverpool as his pace and finishing would complement Liverpool’s high-flying right-back Trent Alexander Arnold perfectly. Pedro Neto is by no means unworthy of playing for Liverpool, but the Premier League tax would mean that Liverpool would have to dig pretty deep in their pockets to sign the Portuguese.
Therefore, Nico Williams might be on his way to Anfield in the summer of 2024 very soon. He would be a cheaper option for Liverpool who would want to transform him into a world-class player, just like Mohamed Salah. ‘The Reds’ would definitely have a very intimidating attacking line if Nico Williams can be convinced to join the Premier League.
Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are in pole position to sign the Egyptian
The Egyptian is no stranger to the Saudi Premier League teams. Liverpool had received a whopping offer of close to $190 million in the summer of 2023. The Premier League world was quite shocked by the news and it looked like Liverpool couldn’t resist the huge sum of money offered.
However, Mohamed Salah declined the Saudi offer to stay at Liverpool for one more season. But, the situation seems altered this time around, as Liverpool looks to be pushing for the Egyptian to leave the club amidst interest from SPL’s two top teams-Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad.
The British Radio Station, talkSPORT has revealed that the offer for Mohamed Salah will be considerably lower than the one offered in the summer of 2023. Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal have reportedly already prepared an offer of at least $88 million to lure the Egyptian to the Middle Eastern country.
Mohamed Salah might reportedly take the advice of his former captain at Liverpool, Jordan Henderson, who spent six months in Saudi Arabia playing for Al-Ettifaq about life and soccer in Saudi Arabia. However, the Egyptian is expected to have it easier to adapt to the culture of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi clubs are reportedly pushing to sign the likes of Casemiro, Raphael Varane, and Kevin De Bruyne from the Premier League. All in all, it looks like the Saudi Premier League has set the Premier League in its sights and will splash the cash to bring some of the English league’s biggest stars.