Danny Murphy has claimed that Mo Salah’s Liverpool contract extension is ‘more important’ than Manchester City’s signing of Erling Haaland.
The Egypt international signed a new three-year-deal that will keep him at Anfield until the summer of 2025 whilst Pep Guardiola strengthened his attacking options earlier in the window with the signing of the Norway international from Borussia Dortmund.
“The Salah re-signing is more important (than Haaland),” Murphy told talkSPORT (via Rousing The Kop).
“City won the league without Haaland, so you could argue they didn’t need him, although he does make them better.”
The former RB Salzburg striker, who is the son of former City player, Alfie, has become recognised as one of the world’s best forwards in recent seasons and netted 27 goals in 29 games for Dortmund last term.
Salah, meanwhile, has been an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool ever since he arrived from AS Roma back in 2017.
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He’s won every major trophy at the club and the signing of his new deal was made even more significant due to the fact that he had entered the final 12 months of his contract and would’ve therefore been able to leave the club for free at the end of next season.
In addition to that, Sadio Mane left Merseyside for Bayern Munich earlier this season and Murphy has claimed that the Reds would’ve suffered if the No. 11 had also left the club.
“If Liverpool were to lose Mane and Salah in the same summer, I think it would be difficult for them to fill both those voids,” he added.
“I know they’ve brought in Nunez and they’ve got Luis Diaz, but Salah’s guaranteed goals.
“If you look at it from a financial point of view, if it is 400 (thousand pounds per week), I’m not sure it’s probably that much, but even if it is, that’s £20m-a-year. Times three, £60m. If you were to go out and try to replace him, you’d have to spend more than that and the wages, so it’s a good business deal as well as a good football move.”
To be fair to Murphy, when you break down the figures like he has done, it doesn’t sound too bad at all.
The Egypt international is reportedly going to earn between £350,000 to £400,00 per week as part of the new deal and there is the concern that other senior members in the squad may now demand that sort of money, but James Pearce has claimed that Salah’s teammates believe that he ‘deserves every penny’.
We’re delighted that the winger has extended his contract and can’t wait to see him pick up more silverware in the next three years.
Haaland might be a great signing for city and the fact he scored plenty of goals for dortmond I don’t recall them winning the league with him, so my point is if he is that good why did they not win there league it could be he did not have enough talent around him, but at city that will be different because as we know city have quite a few talented players in there squad anyway let’s wait and see.