Shearer “Really Surprised” Liverpool Have Allowed Salah Contract Crisis
For a club like Liverpool with a reputation for being well run, the contract situation of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold is unexpected.
For a club like Liverpool with a reputation for being well run behind the scenes, the current contract situation that sees three of their top stars into the final year of their contracts with little clarity as to what comes next is unexpected.
For Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold the future seems less than ideally certain, and after Salah opened up about not having discussed that future with the club yet on Sunday it was inevitable it would become a talking point for fans and pundits.
Backroom turnover, with Michael Edwards replaced by Julian Ward who then stepped down forcing the short-term appointment of Jörg Schmadtke and now the return of Edwards with Richard Hughes, may be a complicating factor, but regardless the reasons the club now face a looming contract crisis.
“The situation with him, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk, I’m really surprised they’ve allowed three big hitters to get to this stage,” all-time Premier League scoring leader and Math of the Day regular Alan Shearer’s reaction.
“A couple of assists, a really good goal, a player-of-the-match performance, and then being interviewed afterwards to say no one has come to him or his agent about a contract, which I am amazed about. Mo was putting a message out there, there’s no doubt about that, and whether they listen we’ll see.”
Shearer’s record of 260 Premier League goals may end up an untouchable record, but Salah—currently in tenth place on 160—will be favoured to end the season at least in the mix with Sergio Aguero (fifth place, 184 goals) and Frank Lampard (sixth, 177).
Another season then could easily push Salah past Andy Cole (fourth, 187) and a particularly strong return over the next two seasons—or the third season that would come with a two-year extension—would likely see him leapfrog Wayne Rooney (third, 208) and Harry Kane (second, 213).
In addition to further cementing himself as one of Liverpool’s two best players in the Premier League era alongside Steven Gerrard, it’s the kind of record setting that Salah himself will be keenly aware of and likely desperate to reach.
Now, the question is if the club will do the right thing and at least offer a two-year extension on his current terms. For one of the club’s all time greats and a player who still ranks out as one of the top five or ten forwards in all of football and as such remains irreplaceable, it’s not just right but necessary.
“There’s no doubt the talent, energy and ability are still there and will be for a while,” Shearer added. “I just find it really surprising. I find it really surprising the football club have got themselves into this position.”
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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