Mohamed Salah has established himself as the king at Anfield over the course of the past six years. The Egyptian international has scored an incredible total of 138 goals in the Premier League while also accumulating 59 assists, averaging a scoring contribution roughly every 94 minutes.
The African forward has won the Golden Boot on three separate occasions, and up until Erling Haaland’s arrival in Manchester last summer, he also had a special record attached to his name, having scored the most goals in a single 38-game Premier League campaign in 2017/18. He has been a truly special talisman for Liverpool, but he is now aged 31.
Salah will not be able to continue performing at the highest level forever, and it is also worth noting that his current contract is due to expire in just two years, meaning the Reds could entertain the prospect of a sale next summer. Replacing him on Merseyside will be virtually impossible, particularly because he’s left footed.
Upon inspection of the offensive options currently within Jürgen Klopp’s ranks, all of his forwards prefer to use their right boot. Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez are right footed, with new signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also reinforcing the curious trend.
Harvey Elliott is the only other left-footed player at the club who doesn’t play in defense, although Klopp seems intent on retraining him to become a midfielder rather than a forward. The English wonderkid was once described by the German coach as a ‘player for the middle’ which offers an insight into where his future lies.
As a left-footed threat who predominantly plays on the right of the field and uses his preferred foot to cut inside and cause havoc, Salah is truly rare. And in addition to his left-footed profile, he is also rapid, intense, creative and simply never misses a game due to injuries.
The best recruitment department in the world would struggle to find a capable heir to his throne, with the large majority of players right footed for starters. And even with Liverpool managing to attract an elite attacking ‘leftie’ in Elliott, Klopp clearly does not see him becoming the Salah heir.
That is exactly why the emergence of a certain Johan Bakayoko is interesting. Aged just 20, he is nowhere near the level of Salah just yet but strictly based on his profile and skill set, he has the credentials to follow a similar path — especially in a tactical sense — with the Belgian accustomed to playing on the right and using his left foot.
Bakayoko is contracted to PSV Eindhoven at present. The Dutch club lost Gakpo to the Reds earlier this year — in addition to Xavi Simons this summer — with Peter Bosz in the process of rebalancing his attack in search of a new dynamic, and perhaps a new star at the Philips Stadium.
Indeed, Bakayoko started for PSV in a Champions League qualifier against Rangers on Tuesday night, and he registered an assist in a 2-2 draw. Throughout the clash, he showcased his skilful ways in possession, as he’s a keen dribbler and carrier of the ball over relatively large distances.
The Eredivisie starlet is quick and now that Gakpo is representing Liverpool on a regular basis, he is being presented with regular minutes on the field, having registered five goals and five assists from just 17 starts in the Dutch top flight last term.
It is highly unlikely that Klopp will be able to find every element of Salah in his eventual replacement, but if there’s one thing that is almost for sure, it is that his successor will have to be left footed, and he will have to be dangerous enough to be deserving of a spot on the pitch for a heavyweight club like Liverpool.
The Reds are looking for a needle in a haystack in that sense — or perhaps more accurately a second needle, having already unearthed Elliott. But Bakayoko could be one who is worth monitoring over the next 12 months.
