Mo Salah has been back to his best lately. The Egyptian has scored 10 goals and 10 assists already, all while leading his side to the top of the Premier League and Champions League. He has truly cemented himself as not only a modern great of English football but of all eras and times. So then, when it would come to ensuring that such a phenom like him stays at your club for a long time, you would not think twice, would you? Liverpool fans think the same, as well with the Anfield faithful unveiling a majestic flag in favour of their mercurial forward and demanding the club that the winger stays at their club on a long-term basis. The flag stated, “FSG, He fires a bow. Now give Mo his dough,” clearly signaling the owners of what their intentions are.
However, the contract talks with the Egyptian winger have not always been a smooth path to tread upon for Liverpool and their fans in the past and maybe in the future as well, with Salah on the cusp of entering into the final year of his current contract at Merseyside. So, what is this flag about? What is the context and story behind it? Will Salah extend his contract? How much of a big miss will he be if he leaves Liverpool? Let’s answer all of that today.
Unstoppable Mo: How Salah’s Output Across Time is Making the Case for a Big Payday
It’s not just this season; Salah has been the focal point of this Liverpool team for years now. As of today, the 32-year-old has 221 goals and 99 assists for Liverpool while racking up countless individual honours. His impact on Liverpool has been profound, and his list of club-level and Premier League awards reflects just how central he is to the team’s success. Salah has earned three Premier League Golden Boots (2017-18, 2018-19, and 2021-22), a testament to his consistent goal-scoring ability, which has often led Liverpool’s attack. His record-breaking 2017-18 season also saw him crowned PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year, showcasing the respect he commands from both peers and critics alike. (Stats from Wikipedia)
Salah’s influence goes beyond goals alone; he’s been named Liverpool’s Players’ Player of the Season multiple times, including most recently in 2023-24, reflecting the admiration he commands within his squad. He’s also been featured in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year three times, a nod to his consistent excellence and irreplaceable role in Liverpool’s lineup. With each season, Salah continues to prove himself as an essential figure in Liverpool’s recent history and a key player in their future.
If all of that was not enough of an argument to give him that contract based on his importance to the team, one shall hope that the fact that he led his club to winning the Premier League and Champions League—the highest accolades in world football over the years—should do the trick.
But even after a solid case for the winger to warrant him that contract, why were things complicated back in 2022 when the club was in negotiations with the Egyptian for the renewal of his present contract? Let’s know more about that.
Show Me the Money: Salah’s 2022 Contract Saga
Back in 2022, Liverpool were locked in talks with Salah for his current contract, and let’s just say things were in an impasse. His agent, Ramy Abbas, was adamant that based on his client’s unmatched value and output to the club, Liverpool should include the variable bonuses as well, and that too strictly performance-based bonuses and not bonuses with a deadline. (Reported by This Is Anfield)
This took a bit of time to resolve, and once this was resolved soon came another issue as a roadblock for his renewal. Now the discussions were surrounding the time of payment of the bonuses—that they were either to be paid on the night of the game (where he achieves that mark of set goals/assists, etc.) or at the end of the team/season milestone.
The negotiations were also complicated further with the discussions surrounding the winger’s image rights and how much revenue would the club would get from Salah’s face potentially. Abbas and Julian Ward of Liverpool were locked in for months in the negotiation with many believing this to be Abbas’s deal of his lifetime. Many believed that he had bottled the biggest deal of his life by going overboard with the asks in the negotiation but Liverpool eventually caved him and rewarded him a three-year contract was worth £350,000 per week basic. If he did well for Liverpool, that figure would be pushed towards £400,000. It easily made him the highest-paid player in the club’s history and ended up costing Liverpool nearly £55 million.
Tempted by the Desert Gold? The Saudi Rumors That Shook Liverpool
Now that the contract was signed, Salah was locked and loaded for the upcoming seasons for his club and while he did perform to his levels rumours started circulating around the 32-year-old potential transfer move to Saudi Arabia where a pool of football stars were migrating to post Cristiano Ronaldo’s pioneering move to Al-Nassr.
In late August, there were multiple reports which surfaced mentioning that Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad was keen to lure the Egyptian forward with an offer that could make him the highest-paid player in the Saudi Pro League. According to Relevo, the club had already met with Salah’s representatives in Doha and was prepared to offer him wages that would surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s massive earnings.
As the Saudi Pro League transfer window neared its close, Al-Ittihad reportedly set their sights on making a world-record £215 million bid for Salah, hoping to tempt him with the allure of playing in a Muslim-majority country while securing a salary to match his legendary status. The move left fans and pundits alike speculating whether Salah would leave the Premier League for a new adventure in the desert, testing Liverpool’s resolve in the process.
These rumours were however soon put to bed, when his agent Ramy Abbas came out and tweeted that they would not have signed the contract in 2022 had they wished to leave the very next year. Popular Journalist David Ornstein also reported in April that Salah is expected to stay at least for this campaign.
Well then, after so many twists and turns in Salah’s contract renewals over the years, one would think Liverpool fans have finally made some peace with it. But, with Salah’s contract running into his final year of contract yet again, Liverpool fans might be back to square one again and thus, that explains the fans and their demands (with giant flags!) surrounding their Egyptian messiah to stay. They are clearly frustrated with the constant twists and turns and just want their club owners finalize the renewal under all circumstances (and money) which they would not be wrong about considering Salah is one of the greatest ever players that has worn their shirt.
The Waiting Game: Liverpool, FSG, and the Contract Crunch for Salah
Flash forward to current date and talks surrounding his renewal are still unclear. Liverpool correspondent James Pearce reported that all parties have remained tight-lipped over the discussions. He further stated it’s unclear what’s on the table compared to what Salah wants. His current deal is worth around £350,000 per week plus bonuses.
This is in continuation to Salah’s quotes back in September this year, where he mentioned that everybody knows that it’s his last year of his contract at the club and that he just wants to enjoy it to the fullest. This is because nobody had reached out to his agent or himself for negotiations and thus the winger had to believe that it’s his last season due to the expiry of his current contract at Merseyside.
However, on the contrary, recent reports from Egyptian journalist Ismaeel Mahmoud have suggested that since Salah was omitted from the oncoming international break fixtures for Egypt (due to artificial pitches and their risk of causing an injury) it gives all parties a 2-week time period when main crunch talks for the negotiation of his new contract will take place. He further reported that the Egyptian is looking for a 2-year deal which would take his contract until 2027 thus Liverpool fans can cling onto the hope of their star man staying for a couple of more years at the club.
Mo Salah’s potential departure from Liverpool would not only leave a massive void at Anfield but would also mark a significant shift in the Premier League landscape. As one of the league’s most iconic players, his exit would be felt across the footballing world, leaving fans, pundits, and even Fantasy Premier League managers (who rely on his consistent high points) scrambling for a replacement. Salah has transcended being just a Liverpool legend; he has become a symbol of Premier League greatness. If he were to leave, the league itself would lose a player who has been at the heart of countless thrilling moments and FPL glory, proving his value far beyond the pitch. Simply put, the Premier League—and its millions of fans—needs him, and life without Salah would be a whole lot less exciting.
