Mohamed Salah's agent slammed for 'shouting his mouth off' as ex-Liverpool star lets rip
David James has criticized Mohamed Salah's agent and is confident that the Egyptian forward will renew his contract with the Reds. Salah's current deal at Anfield is set to expire at the end of this season, making him eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club in January.
Salah's agent, Abbas Issa, recently broke his silence on the matter via social media. Despite this, James, who made over 150 appearances for Liverpool, remains optimistic about Salah's future at the club and has taken a dig at his representative.
He stated: "I don't think Salah's agents' comments are going to change anything about his situation or future at the club. An agent isn't going to get a better deal just by shouting his mouth off. For me, I look at what Salah is producing in the shirt as a barometer to his desire and likelihood of signing a new contract.
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"His first three performances were sensational - he came back and looked better than we've seen him, and when you're Mo Salah and you have his body of work, that is really saying something. I think if Mo Salah wanted out of Liverpool, or he had his head turned by the other opportunities that are available to him, and there will be plenty, then I don't think you see a version of Mo Salah that we've seen so far this season.
"We know that he can earn huge sums of money by moving elsewhere. Respectively, he could take a move to one of those places and not have to produce the standard of performance that he does for Liverpool. What Mo's doing, it looks like he could produce a season that could be his best at Liverpool. That's why I think he will stay. He's not slowing down; he's going through the gears."
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk's contracts are winding down as well, yet James appears unfazed about their Anfield futures. He added: "It would have been easy for Slot to go in and offer these guys new deals right away, but he's waited, which I think is the right thing to do for a new manager.
"For the players, they've seen what Slot is bringing on the pitch and off it, and they will be thinking that they want to be part of it. Arne will want to keep the levels high; he'll want to see improvement.
"There are stronger doubts about Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk because they are older players moving towards the end of their careers. But from what I've seen from their performances this season, these guys don't look like players that are happy to see things out - they look hungry to achieve something.
"From a Liverpool point-of-view, the more successful they are on the pitch, the easier it is to retain these players and ask them to commit for a couple more years. ".