‘Bukayo Saka is nowhere near Mohamed Salah’

Cameron Smith

• 17 Dec 2023 14:28 GMT
• 3 min read

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson believes that Mohamed Salah remains criminally underrated for his incredible consistency at Liverpool since his move to Anfield.

Salah, 31, has scored 200 goals and provided 87 assists in 327 Reds appearances after joining the club from AS Roma in 2017 and he is widely considered as one of the world’s best players.

However, Merson thinks that he still doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the numbers he puts up every single season.

The Egyptian winger has 22 goal contributions in 22 games so far this season as Liverpool look set to fight for the Premier League title once again after a disappointing campaign last year.

Merson, who actually supports Chelsea despite his Arsenal affinity, believes that Salah deserves even more praise than he currently receives.

What has been said?

Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column: “In a way, I feel sorry for Salah. I really don't think he gets the credit he deserves for what he's done and is doing at Liverpool. He's similar to Wayne Rooney for me in that regard. He was another who didn't get the credit he deserved.

“Salah puts up figures that blow everyone away. 200 goals for Liverpool already, playing on the right wing. It's extraordinary.

“Everyone tells me that Bukayo Saka is one of the best wingers in the world but playing in exactly the same position as Salah, he gets nowhere near his figures.

“What Salah produces at the highest level is just mind blowing. We talk about Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, who are unbelievable footballers, but they won't score as many as Salah put together.

“He's definitely in the top five players in the world for me. He always gets massive goals in massive football matches, and I can't speak highly enough of him as a player.”