There have already been two sightings this season of Mohamed Salah’s latest goal celebration, the forward reaching behind his back for an imaginary arrow he then fires towards the Liverpool supporters. But when it came to shooting down speculation over his long-term future at the club this week, the Egyptian knowingly avoided hitting the target.
“I don’t want to think about next year, I don’t want to think about the future,” said Salah. “I just came for a season and I said: ‘okay, I have one year left, so let’s just enjoy. Don’t think about the contract, don’t think about anything and really just enjoy it.'”
How you judge those comments depends on whether you view your glass half-full or half-empty.
Those of a more positive persuasion will point to Salah, as has been shown already this campaign, being fully committed to the Liverpool cause regardless of contract uncertainty. Clearly, he won’t be distracted.
People with a more negative slant, though, will take his open-ended answer as the first sign of the Egyptian preparing Reds fans for the long goodbye before his current deal expires at the end of the season.
In this instance, both groups are potentially correct. Rumours of interest in taking Salah elsewhere, whether it be Real Madrid earlier in his Liverpool career or Saudi Arabia more recently, are nothing new, and not once has the player allowed it to impact his performances.
But there is no escaping the fact that, taking Salah’s words at face value, there appears to be little movement regards a new deal at Anfield.
It was very much the same with Virgil van Dijk when, after Sunday’s win over Brentford, he was asked about his own contract situation which, like Salah, at present means he can speak to clubs from abroad from January and leave on a free next summer.
“I want to play the best season I can again,” said Van Dijk. “I want to be important and stay important for the club this year. Whatever happens next year, we’ll see. Everything happens for a reason, that’s how I see it. For now, there has been no change in my situation.”
Throw in Trent Alexander-Arnold having a bit of a strop at being substituted during the final quarter against Brentford, and the three Liverpool players in the final 12 months of their contract have all found themselves commanding headlines this week.
Salah’s interview with Sky Sports was recorded the day after it first emerged publicly that Liverpool are pursuing a deal for Juventus and Italy attacker Federico Chiesa. Predominantly playing on the right, Chiesa would offer senior backup to the Egyptian this season that hasn’t really been available in recent years, the Reds instead having to mix and match by using players out of position when Salah has been unavailable.
Again, whether that’s as much planning for the future without Salah as easing the immediate pressure on the player is down to perspective.
The approach for Chiesa, shortly after a deal was agreed for Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, underlines Liverpool’s recruitment team, led by new sporting director Richard Hughes, have prioritised moving players in and out of Arne Slot’s squad during the transfer window ahead of negotiating new deals.
Again, there is sense in that. And Hughes has undoubtedly been given something of a hospital pass in inheriting a situation where Liverpool’s captain, vice-captain and leading scorer have all been allowed to enter the final year of their contracts. But once the transfer deadline passes, reaching a resolution with the trio has to be the sole focus.
If Salah has already decided this is his last season, then fair enough – the Egyptian has given his best years to Liverpool and would be given a raucous send-off. He is one of the finest footballers ever to pull on a Liverpool shirt.
But if there is a chance the forward can continue – and Reds head coach Slot is convinced Salah, while now 32, still has years left in him at the top level – then it would be unwise not to explore every avenue in the hope of extending his stay.
Fenway Sports Group chief executive of football Michael Edwards has forged a reputation for creative work within certain limitations, and Salah is worthy of bending the rules a little.
One suggestion could be a rolling, incentivised 12-month contract that would have a cut-off point of February 1 for the player and club to agree an extension. Everyone would know where they stand long before the summer window, and there’d be a degree of freedom of movement for all parties.
As with Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool would be mindful to not allow the situation to remain unresolved for too long. Everyone – from the players themselves, the rest of the squad, Slot and the supporters – will benefit from clarity, regardless of the outcome.
Salah, meanwhile, will carry on doing what he does best. A trip to his favourite opponents Manchester United is up next on Sunday, where last season he became the first visiting player ever to score in four consecutive away league games.
Reds fans, though, will hope it isn’t the last time the Egyptian King can rule at Old Trafford as a Liverpool player.
