So, last week, it happened. Well, it was certainly announced last week that Mohamed “The Egyptian King” Salah had signed on to play for Liverpool Football Club for another two years.
And be paid an eyewateringly large amount of money over those two years.
Woo-hoo.
Inevitably, the next match Salah played for Liverpool saw him draw a blank in terms of goalscoring, though he did bag an assist, and while not too much should be read into that in terms of his current powers, it may prove to be symbolic for what the coming twenty-something months will bring.
Whatever, I’m not doing cartwheels. I wasn’t in the Steven Gerrard camp in terms of Liverpool’s greatest ever player - he was a servant whose labours I enjoyed the fruits of rather than entirely admired, and his managerial job choices since haven’t done much to endear him to me - but I’d choose Kenny Dalglish and Robbie Fowler over Salah for how they made me feel as a fan and the new contract has bigger-picture implications that cause unease.
I had Salah leaving last summer. I thought the lure of Saudi Arabia would prove too strong for him to stay and I had made my peace with it. He was getting older, his efficacy appeared to be waning and, honestly, I was of the thinking that grabbing the big payday would be entirely understandable.
He stayed and proved me wrong regarding the shelf-life of his attributes, and the said payday - a contract inflated to such an extent that it acts as a footballing remuneration version of The Substance, turning back time on a career - would wait another twelve months. Little did I know it would be delivered at Anfield.
There is no doubting the service, the accomplishments or the highlights, and I don’t blame him for holding out for the cash - the mercenary nature of modern football isn’t news to me - but I have visions of a seven-goal 2026-27 from a 34-year-old forward on approximately £400,000 a week. More likely, I’m told, he will transfer to Saudi Arabia next summer and this will be facilitated by a welcome transfer fee to help the Reds evolve.
Still, it’s a lot of a money and teams need to be rebuilt, gradually, and Trent Alexander-Arnold reportedly leaving and Salah staying - even with the love on both sides - seems arse about face. Real Madrid will develop TAA in his peak years while Liverpool expensively retain Salah at the moment a rot will likely set in.
Or maybe I’m just wrong. Again. I just have a bad feeling about this…
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