The latest on Mohamed Salah’s contract negotiations with Liverpool as a football finance expert provides the answer to a ‘can’t win’ scenario
Liverpool are stuck in a winless scenario regarding Mohamed Salah’s contract and should have sold their star player last summer. That is the view of football finance expert Dr. Rob Wilson, who has given a brutally honest verdict on the Reds’ conundrum.
With two strikes and an assist against Newcastle United last night taking his 2024/25 season tally to 27 goal contributions, the importance of Salah to this current Liverpool team is unmatched. Now it is on Anfield chiefs to decide how long the 32-year-old is able to keep up these standards as they consider the offer of a new deal.
Currently, the Egyptian is on course to depart the Reds at the season’s end. Supporters will continue to campaign for a contract renewal as long as these performances continue, which is a stark contrast to the advice of Dr. Wilson.
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“Liverpool cannot win in this scenario, either giving him a new contract or allowing him to leave. He is holding all the cards because he is playing incredibly, is still fully fit and is completely iconic at the club,” professor of Applied Sports Finance at Sheffield Hallam University told OLBG.
“He will be looking at a three or four-year deal and still believe he’s entitled to that, he also knows that if he leaves he will be highly marketable and land a contract on an extraordinarily large amount of money because he’ll be leaving as a free agent.
“Liverpool can’t win. If they let him go, he will go and play somewhere else and he will do really well and everybody will look at it and think Liverpool made a shocking decision. If they keep him, Liverpool have made a shocking decision because it will cost them an extended contract and very, very high wages for a player of his age,” was his ultimate candid verdict.
Salah is the highest earner at Liverpool by a clear distance. Business-minded owners Fenway Sport Group‘s operate the club with a self-sustainable model, meaning no matter what is happening in the here and now or allegiances, they always prioritise the best outcome for the future.
“It’s a hugely expensive deal for Liverpool to do and because of his age, he could break down in six or eight months time and they will be spending a lot of money on somebody that can’t play,” Dr. Wilson added.
“A three year deal will have a huge impact on their wage deal and by the end he might only be playing 20 minutes towards the end of games, from a financial and economics perspective, it makes no sense to me for Liverpool to retain him.”
Highlighting Inter Miami or the Saudi Pro League as likely destinations, he went as far to say: “They should have sold him a year ago and still got a huge fee out of it, he then could have been replaced by two younger players who will only rise in value.
“They could bring someone in alongside Salah, but high profile players will not be keen to play a back-up role and then you’re stuck.”
