Has the love story between Salah “The Selfish” and Liverpool ended? | sports
11/26/2024–|Last updated: 11/26/202408:14 PM (Mecca time)
Egyptian Mohamed Salah’s brilliant performances on the field and his fiery statements regarding his future with Liverpool, whose contract expires at the end of the current season, have dominated the spotlight in recent days.
The ambiguity of his future in particular will constitute rich material for the media again, especially on the sidelines of the upcoming match against Spanish Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Liverpool supporters have built a wonderful relationship with the Egyptian star over the past seven years, but the love story between them may end soon because Salah’s contract with his team expires on June 30, 2025, and the club has not yet approached him with the possibility of renewing the contract, according to what the player announced at the weekend.
Salah said after his team’s 3-2 victory over Southampton in the league last Sunday, “We have almost reached December, and I have not received any offers yet to stay at the club. I am more likely on the outside (outside the club) than inside,” indicating the disappointment. His hope.
He continued, “I love the fans, and the fans love me. In the end, the matter is not in my hands or in the hands of the fans. Let us wait and see what happens. I will not retire soon, so all I am doing is playing and focusing on the season and trying to win the English Premier League and also the Champions League if we are destined to do so.” “I’m disappointed, but we’ll see.”
Salah is “selfish”
English newspapers covered Salah’s statements extensively, describing them as a “bomb,” a “thunderbolt,” and a “shocking announcement.”
This is not the first time that Salah, or his agent Rami Abbas Issa, has moved stagnant water, but this time the directing was direct and explosive.
This did not please many people, including former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who is currently commentating on the British Sky Sports network, saying, “If he continues to make comments, and if his agent sends coded messages, then this is selfish. He is thinking about himself and not in the interest of the club.”
Salah’s fiery statements come on the eve of his team’s anticipated confrontation against Real Madrid, the Spanish champions in the Champions League, and 5 days before another prominent confrontation against Manchester City at the weekend in the English Premier League.
Former Liverpool top scorer John Oldridge had a similar statement, saying, “It’s a bit political, isn’t it?”, in statements to the British BBC network.
Salah, who joined Liverpool in 2017 from Italian club Roma, made his statements in the mixed area, where journalists were waiting in the hope that the players would stop to answer their questions after the match. Whether his media statements were spontaneous, or on the contrary, thoughtful, in any case they come at a time when Al-Masry is remarkably shining.
⚽️🔥 Mohamed Salah, with one touch, ignites the match and adjusts the score for Liverpool#English_Premier_League | #Southampton_Liverpool #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/ooDjoYLnsv
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 24, 2024
223 goals with Liverpool
Salah did not pose any threat to Southampton’s goal for about an hour, but when his team needed him when they trailed 1-2 at the beginning of the second half, the Pharaoh was on time, first by equalizing with a smart goal before giving them victory from a late penalty kick. Match.
He celebrated his second goal in the match by taking off his shirt, showing off his muscles to the hysterical joy of the team’s supporters in the stands.
This was the 300th goal in his club career, and the 223rd in the 367 matches he played with the Reds, and he is the fifth best scorer in his club’s history.
Salah scored 12 goals this season and made assists in all competitions, confirming that he is the best among his team.
Liverpool discreetly
Regarding the issue of renewing Salah’s contract or not, the club did not comment officially, but it hints at the continuation of negotiations in a positive manner between the two camps.
But what is the strategy of Fenway Sports Group, which owns the club? The American holding company knows the sporting and emotional value of its star, but shows reluctance to offer long-term and expensive contracts to thirty-year-olds.
In 2022, Al-Masry signed a 3-year extension, making him the highest-paid player in the club’s history (more than 21 million euros annually), according to local media. In 2023, Liverpool rejected a huge transfer offer (about 180 million euros) from Saudi Arabia, according to the same sources.
The situation is different this time: In January 2025, Salah can begin negotiating with the clubs to leave next summer without paying any transfer compensation to the Reds.