If Mohamed Salah felt at all distracted by transfer speculation regarding his future, having seen Liverpool reject an £150m Al-Ittihad bid, against Aston Villa he certainly didn’t show it.
It was business as usual for the Egyptian against the Villans as he helped fire Jurgen Klopp’s side to a routine 3-0 win.
Flourishing as a playmaker this season, only the woodwork denied him a further two assists as Darwin Nunez hit both the post and the crossbar after twice being set up by the Egyptian. At least the Uruguayan’s first strike was diverted in inadvertently by defender Matty Cash to double the Reds’ lead.
Yet natural attacking instincts prevailed in the second half as Nunez returned the favour in the 55th minute, flicking on Andy Robertson’s corner at the near post to gift Salah the simplest of far post finishes. That’s goal number 188 for the Egyptian now since moving to Merseyside in the summer of 2017, with few being easier.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old now has 13 goals and four assists from 14 Anfield appearances in 2023. Despite the Saudi millions on offer to him, how could he possibly consider leaving his adopted home when there are still goals to win and trophies to be won?
Despite all the reports suggesting the forward had agreed personal terms with Al-Ittihad, would be willing to move back to the Middle East if Liverpool sanctioned an exit, and that the Saudi Pro League outfit would bid again for his services before their September 7 transfer deadline, Salah didn’t strike the look of a man who had made his last Anfield appearance at the final whistle after this routine victory.
Handshakes with team-mates and opponents followed, along with a customary Klopp hug. And while there was a brief look towards the Kop, there was no emphasised salute or attempt to soak in the occasion.
Dominik Szoboszlai revealed after the final whistle that his team-mate was staying put, while Klopp would admit he had overlooked just how much was being made of the possibility of Saudi Arabia luring Salah away by those outside Anfield walls. Clearly for Liverpool bosses, such talk remains a non-event.
When speculation about the forward’s future was last so potent, back in 2022 when it was unclear whether he would sign a new contract at Anfield, his goalscoring touch seemingly deserted him after a sensational start to the quadruple-chasing campaign. While he would finish the season with 31 goals, only eight came after an Africa Cup of Nations defeat to Senegal in early-February.
We’ll never know how much previous uncertainty weighed on Salah’s shoulders, but he is seemingly so much more relaxed now, 18 months on, as he remains the Reds’ most lethal talisman. His latest goal, taking his tally for the campaign to two from four, is a relief that he will continue to hit dizzying heights at Anfield in the months ahead.
However, even if not successful before September 7, Saudi Arabia will come calling again. While a deal on Liverpool’s deadline day was destined to fail, with no time to source a replacement, it could be a different story next summer. If not, Salah’s Reds contract, signed last summer that made him the best-paid player in the club’s history, expires in 2025.
And while supporters were so desperate for the player’s vocal agent, Ramy Abbas, to just simply shut up during prolonged negotiations back in 2021/22, when he would share a number of cryptic messages on social media, now the silence coming from the Colombian and Salah’s camp is deafening.
Abbas twice insisted that the Egyptian was staying put last month, before talk of a record bid from Al-Ittihad started to ramp up.
“If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC,” he posted on social media on August 7. However, there has been no such public declaration in recent weeks as the Saudi outfit belatedly made their move.
The Athletic reported last week that Salah’s camp were not dismissing reports that personal terms had been agreed with Al-Ittihad, and that Abbas did not respond to their own requests for comment. Read into that what you will.
But regardless of what happens before September 7, it is clear that Salah’s Liverpool career is closer to its finish than start. Having won all there is to win at Anfield, it is understandable why football’s most high-profile Muslim player would see the attraction in playing in the Middle East.
The message was clear as the Kop repeatedly serenaded Salah during the Reds’ victory over Aston Villa in an attempt to delay the inevitable. They don’t want him to go. But while it might be business as usual for the Egyptian, for now, Liverpool are in a position where they just have to enjoy one of their greatest ever players while they can.
