Stan Collymore has challenged Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, and questioned the idea of potentially parting ways with Mo Salah with a view to replacing him with another superstar forward.
The Englishman gave the example of linked Norwegian international Erling Haaland and the likely bidding war that will ensue for the striker’s services.
“I ask the Liverpool hierarchy, FSG in Boston, this: if you don’t pay him £24m [a year], how much is it going to cost to replace him?” the 50-year-old told Empire of the Kop.
“Really simple base economics. You’ve got £24m, let’s say he signs a three-year contract, that’s investing £75m in Mo Salah plc. Let’s say Liverpool could sell him for £100m. Who are you going to get?
“Would that automatically put you in the frame to get a Haaland? Possibly, yes. £100m out of the £250m that it might cost to get him. Because you know PSG, possibly Chelsea, are going to put in an insane bid.
“So you’ve got half of the money to be able to buy Mo Salah with, you’ve got to find another £100m just to have the conversation with Dortmund, then you’ve got to find Haaland’s wages with an agent that is notorious for making sure his clients are getting insane money.”
The former Reds striker pointed out that it arguably makes more financial sense to pursue handing the Egyptian a new contract in light of his historically significant contributions.
“The economics don’t add up! The economics only add up to keep Mo Salah at Liverpool football club,” Collymore added. “And not only do the economics add up to keep him at the club to keep the fans happy, you’ve got a 30-goal-a-season striker that is scoring goals in the biggest games.”
Given the fragile nature of the relationship between Liverpool fans and the club’s owners, a failure to fulfill a fanbase-wide wish to keep the Egyptian international at Anfield beyond his contract expiration date would seem a risk of epic proportions.
Whilst many a supporter can appreciate the need to fully consider the economic impact of holding on to a player with significant wage demands, there’s a solid argument to be made for holding on to Salah in light of his superb levels of conditioning.
It’s worth pointing out that reports have claimed that Haaland’s release clause of roughly £64m is set to kick in next summer, which may invite more than just casual looks over from Merseyside.
Should our Egyptian King be capable of extending his best years well into his 30s, however, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Liverpool supporter willing to gamble on selling the No.11.
Nowhere else would this even be an argument. FSG are struggling to manage a world class squads wages. Most of the players are there for Klopp not for these clowns!