- 24 Dec 2024
Mo Salah: Three wingers with Slot links who can replace Liverpool’s ‘more out than in’ star
Robin Bairner
- 25 Nov 2024 10:30 GMT
- 4 min read
Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has made the bombshell revelation that he is likely to leave Anfield next summer.
Salah’s contract expires in June 2025, and while it had been expected that the Reds would offer the Egypt international star a new deal, the player says nothing has been forthcoming.
“We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club. I’m probably more out than in,” Salah told reporters.
“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.”
STATS
Mohamed Salah
F (CR), M (R)
Liverpool
Mohamed Salah
F (CR), M (R)
Liverpool
In failing to find an agreement with Salah, Liverpool are set to see a player who has scored 223 goals for them and generated nearly 100 assists depart for nothing. Since arriving from Roma in 2017, he has written himself into legend at Anfield and his departure will leave a massive void to fill.
Using data analytics experts SciSports, FootballTransfers looks at three probable targets for the Reds to replace him.
Replacing Mo Salah
If Liverpool chase a like-for-like replacement for Salah, then they will be looking for a player with the following criteria:
REQUIREMENTS
- Position: Right wing
- Style: 80% or more similar to Salah
- Strengths: Finishing, crossing, offensive positioning
On top of this, they are likely to seek a player who is relatively young – 25 or under – but is also able to immediately step into the Egyptian’s boots.
DESIRABLES
- Age: 25 or under
- Current SciSkill: 80 or more
- Potential SciSkill: 110 or more
Three candidates for Liverpool
The dream targets for Liverpool would be Lamine Yamal, Bukayo Saka and Savinho, but with these players at Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester City respectively, it’s wise to rule them out of the running as unrealistic.
So who fits the bill for Liverpool? There are only three players who fit our criteria.
Yankuba Minteh – Brighton
Brighton winger Minteh is a player well known to Liverpool manager Arne Slot. After all, the pair worked together for a season at Feyenoord. That also proved to be the most productive campaign of 20-year-old Gambia international’s career to date as he scored nine goals and created six more.
Having just moved to Brighton in the summer from Newcastle for €35 million, he will be hard to prise away, and there must be doubts as to whether Liverpool would pay the type of fee the Seagulls would likely demand.
Although his potential is undoubted, his lack of current pedigree combined with a lavish price will likely put the Reds off.
Donyell Malen – Borussia Dortmund
If Liverpool are looking for a player who could make an immediate impact, Donyell Malen is one figure they could turn to. The 25-year-old has been with Borussia Dortmund since 2021 but appears to have stagnated a little with the Bundesliga side.
SciSports believes Malen could take up the mantle of Salah.
Liverpool fans are likely to be less convinced by the Netherlands star, who is, of course, a compatriot of Slot. Malen is, after all, far less productive offensively in terms of goals and assists than Salah, though he did strike 13 times in the Bundesliga last term.
Johan Bakayoko - PSV
Arguably the best realistic fit to replace Salah is Bakayoko. He offers a midway point of having the ability to make an instant impact like Malen while also having the potential to grow into a world-class star.
SciSports gives the Belgium international winger, who plays his football at PSV, a potential of 126.2. Given that Salah’s SciSkill is 119.3, he could ultimately represent a step up on this current version of the Egyptian star.
Bakayoko has five goals and three assists across 17 games this season but offers a strong overall profile that has already seen him linked to a string of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.
An established Eredivisie star, former Feyenoord boss Slot will know his strengths, weaknesses and potential intimately.
