Don Hutchison has named two Bayern Munich players among a list of six forwards he believes could thrive under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool if signed to replace Mo Salah.
The Reds rejected a £150m bid from the Saudi Pro League for the 31-year-old last Friday (Sky Sports), but with their transfer window remaining open for three more days, there’s still a theoretical chance of Al-Ittihad signing him this week.
Mercifully, the Egyptian is believed to have told his teammates that he’s staying at Anfield (The Independent), but one former LFC player has backed the manager to get the best out of some prospective replacements, just as he’s done with our current number 11.
Hutchison shared a clip on social media showing Sky Sports pundits discussing Salah’s future and namechecked Bayern duo Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman – along with Rafael Leao, Federico Chiesa, Bukayo Saka and Jarrod Bowen – among those who could also excel under Klopp if they come to Liverpool.
The 52-year-old posted: “M Salah scored 6 at [Fiorentina,] 14 and 15 at Roma. J Klopp turned Salah into the 25 goal man. No reason why J Klopp couldn’t do the same to R Leao, Chiesa, Saka, Bowen, Coman [sic], L Sane etc etc. Or even play L Diaz on the right Nunez or Jota on the left. Loads of options.”
M Salah scored 6 at F,Tina 14 and 15 at Roma. J Klopp turned Salah into the 25 goal man.
No reason why J Klopp couldn’t do the same to
R Leao Chiesa Saka Bowen Koman L Sane etc etc
Or even play L Diaz on the right Nunez or Jota on the left 👍🏼 loads of options. https://t.co/7mqz1kJ5KS— Don Hutchison (@donhutch4) September 2, 2023
Thankfully it seems Liverpool won’t have to worry about replacing Salah in the short-term, given the 31-year-old’s reported intentions to stay for at least one more season, but the time will eventually come that they need to look towards life after the Egyptian.
Among the players named by Hutchison are two who’ve scored winning goals in European finals, Coman to win the Champions League for Bayern in 2020 and Bowen in the Europa Conference League decider for West Ham three months ago.
Leao has struck 39 Serie A goals for AC Milan (Transfermarkt), while Sane’s winner against the Reds for Manchester City in January 2019 went a long way towards deciding an epic title race in his team’s favour.
Saka was one of the best players in the Premier League last season, and while Chiesa was intermittently linked with Liverpool throughout the summer, his injury record is a major concern (Transfermarkt) and should see him dismissed as a contender to replace Salah in the long-term.
There are certainly some strong options around for Klopp to consider, and the manager has a fine track record for turning good footballers into genuinely world-class operators, so we’d certainly back him to do likewise with a few of those who Hutchison mentioned.
For now, though, Reds fans will just be glad that crossroads can seemingly wait for another time, with the Egyptian looking likely to stay for another few months minimum.
#Ep88 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️