Liverpool fans will be praying journalist’s five-word claim on Mo Salah proves accurate

Liverpool fans will be fervently hoping that Neil Jones’ prediction on Mo Salah’s immediate future turns out to be accurate.

The Egyptian has already been the subject of an unsuccessful £150m transfer offer from Saudi Arabia, with reports that they could come back with a gargantuan £200m proposal to try and get him to Al-Ittihad before the Gulf nation’s Thursday deadline (Daily Mail).

However, the 31-year-old is believed to have told teammates that his plan is to remain at Anfield (The Independent), the strongest indicator yet towards him staying put.

Speaking exclusively to Empire of the Kop’s Substack, Jones voiced his confidence that Salah will still be wearing the Liverpool number 11 shirt after the Saudi transfer window closes later this week.

The journalist said: “Time will tell but I wouldn’t say Liverpool have had the worst window, especially if we get to the end of the Saudi window and Salah is still a Liverpool player – which I think he will be.”

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The reports surrounding the Egyptian’s future will likely rumble on until Thursday’s deadline, and quite possibly beyond that as well.

However, with one of the most reliable correspondents on all things Liverpool in Jones offering reassurance with those five words ‘I think he will be’ when predicting whether Salah will still be at the club for the rest of 2023, Reds fans can feel confident that the 31-year-old won’t follow former teammates Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to the Middle East this week.

The entire saga raises pertinent questions as to how much longer the attacker will be at Anfield, where he’s now into his seventh season as an LFC player, but if we can get past the Saudi transfer deadline without a move materialising, that provides scope to start looking towards life after our number 11.

We’ve already seen names like Jarrod Bowen and Leroy Sane suggested by journalists and pundits as potential replacements, and rest assured the Liverpool hierarchy will have their own targets in mind as to the identity of his long-term successor on the right flank.

For now, all we ask is that Salah doesn’t leave for Saudi Arabia in the coming days; then we can begin to properly consider who might replace him in case he decides to take on a new challenge in 2024.

#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️