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FSG mistake, new hint, deal timeline - Liverpool receive final Mohamed Salah contract verdict
Mohamed Salah's future at Liverpool appears no clearer after the forward revealed that he is yet to receive a contract offer from the club.
Salah, 32, who scored a second-half brace to help Arne Slot's side beat Southampton and move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, is free to negotiate a pre-contract with overseas clubs in less than five weeks time.
Speaking to the ECHO, and other publications after the win at St Mary's, Salah said he is disappointed by the fact he is yet to be offered fresh terms by the club's hierarchy. "Well, we are almost in December and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club, [so] I'm probably more out than in," said Salah.
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"You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven't received anything yet about my future.
"I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans' hands. Let's wait and see. Of course [no offer is disappointing], yeah.
"I'm not going to retire soon so I'm just playing, focusing on the season and I'm trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I'm disappointed but we will see.
"I'm very professional. Everybody can see my work ethic. I'm just trying to enjoy my football and I will play at the top level as long as possible. I'm just doing my best because this is who I am and I try to give it all for myself and for the club. We will see what happens next."
Here, ECHO writers debate what should happen next.
Keifer MacDonald
If Liverpool needed further proof that Mohamed Salah remains as integral as ever, then the Egyptian absolutely demonstrated that at Southampton on Sunday afternoon.
Of course, it was the Egyptian's second-half rescue act - scoring his 9th and 10th goals of the Premier League season - that secured Arne Slot's side a significant come-from-behind win in the Premier League title race.
At 32, Salah has aged like a fine wine during his eight seasons at Anfield and continues to lead by example - both on and off the pitch - like very few players in world football are capable of doing.
But his interview at St Mary's on Sunday was as striking as it was significant, Salah hinting that he is clearly keen to stay at Anfield and is no longer prepared to do his talking solely on the pitch. The ball is now firmly in Liverpool's court.
Isaac Johnson
Salah has sent a very clear message to the board here - 'I want to stay, I'm frustrated at the pace of things, let's get it sorted'. Perfectly timed after his match-winning brace on Sunday, these comments are not off the cuff. And rightly so.
Salah is the only one of the soon-to-be out of contract trio to make it abundantly clear that he wishes to stay. Virgil van Dijk says he is in talks but has "no idea" if he will be at the club next season while Trent Alexander-Arnold could only commit his future to the end of this campaign.
Liverpool are 36 days away from their best three players being permitted to speak to overseas clubs about their future, as they enter the final six months of their deal. While the Reds hold a very strong position, it is a situation that cannot be allowed to drag on and create a distraction from the trophy hunt.
Salah knows that fan pressure can tilt the scales into a player's favour during contract talks, pressure that is only going to increase as time and his form continues. He has more than earned the right to utilise that power. FSG, surely, has a simple decision to make.
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Stephen Killen
'FSG, he fires a bow, now give Mo his dough,' was the banner that has emerged on the Kop recently and the noise surrounding Mohamed Salah's contract uncertainty will be louder than ever before.
He was yet again the match-winner against Southampton and his importance to Liverpool is becoming clearer each and every week. Now, the Egyptian has put the Anfield chiefs on alert with his telling post-match comments, thus increasing the pressure to table a deal worthy of tying down the 32-year-old.
And why wouldn't they? You will struggle to find a player of his calibre out there, at a young age, capable to putting up the numbers that he has and following in the Liverpool greats footsteps.
The decision-makers at Liverpool are prolonging the process, increasing pressure on themselves and stoking fan disgruntlement - during a crucial period where the Reds find themselves deep into the title race.
The scrutiny that contract uncertainty carries, not just for your star player but two other key players in Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the weight of that will eventually become insurmountable. Liverpool have to act and what better time to do it of the biggest meeting with Manchester City in recent years on Sunday. What a boost it would be.
Kieran Horn
Following another scintillating display, Mohamed Salah is arguably the most in-form player in the Premier League right now. The 32-year-old is gradually catching Manchester City's Erling Haaland following his blistering start to the campaign and has once again proving to be the Reds' talisman.
And yet any time Salah is discussed or praised, the topic of his future arrives with it often taking the limelight away from what everyone should be talking about - his performances on the pitch. Ultimately, even though he has not directly expressed his desire to stay, the final decision is with Liverpool.
He has been at the club since 2017 and will likely want to reach a decade of service. Salah is also showing no signs of slowing down and thus it seems a rather easy contract extension call.
With it having already been an ongoing situation for a few months, it does not appear Liverpool or Salah are in any rush to advance talks. However, that should change very quickly with the January fast approaching and that meaning Salah is able to discuss a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of the Premier League.
Jake Stokes
It would be an absolute travesty if Liverpool don't extend Mohamed Salah's contract and, if he were to be ignored and let go, his departure would leave a horrible stain on Fenway Sports Group's reign. The owners must do everything in their power to keep the Egypt international at Anfield – there is not one good reason not to.
Salah remains one of the best players in the Premier League. The forward's in great shape with a clean bill of health, and he hasn't shown any sign of slowing down. Even if the Egyptian had begun to slow down, which – again – he hasn't, he's done more than enough for the club to warrant an extension.
Salah is a club legend, and he should be treated as such. If the 32-year-old were to be let go at the end of his contract, his exit would mark the beginning of the end of FSG's reign. I'm almost certain that fans would turn on the owners, and rightly so.
The owners can show real ambition here, and how they manage the situation will show their true colours. Do they want to win? Or, do they just want to save money and accept mediocrity? Lets see.
Richard Garnett
Sorting a new contract for Mohamed Salah should be one of the most straight-forward decisions Liverpool FC has ever made, but here we are in the back end of November and seemingly there is still no offer on the table.
This could be understandable if the Egyptian - the great servant for the club that's he's been - was no longer reaching the levels required to stay at the very top of the game. But the opposite is true. If anything Salah is looking better than ever and his statistics more than back up a new deal.
Salah is not stupid. His decision to talk to the press about his situation on Sunday evening was measured and surely designed to get the ball rolling.
Liverpool needs Salah and Salah needs Liverpool, so what are FSG waiting for? Are they concerned that should a new deal be agreed, their star man's levels will suddenly drop off? It does happen to players and maybe there is some sort of method in the madness.
Whether there's something in that or not, it would be foolish for the Reds' top brass to prolong the negotiating process beyond the new year and risk an overseas third party being allowed into the conversation. Everything is rosy at Anfield right now - eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League - but a failure to secure the services of Salah beyond this season would be unthinkable.
