Mohamed Salah has established himself as a true diamond over the course of the past decade. The Liverpool talisman is a unicorn of sorts in the world of football, as his profile and range of qualities is incredibly rare, with those perks allowing him to become one of the greatest players in Premier League history.
Since his move to Liverpool from AS Roma in the summer of 2017, Salah has scored a total of 139 goals in England’s top flight, while also registering 60 assists, meaning he is currently just one short of hitting the 200-mark for scoring contributions. The African forward has been a true output merchant at Anfield, posting a goal or an assist every 93 minutes from almost 19,000 minutes of action
In addition to his special ability to deliver meaningful returns in the final third, Salah is also rapid across the ground and quicker than virtually all of his opponents, which explains why he’s so dangerous and difficult to contain from an opposition perspective. And on top of those strengths, he is also left footed unlike the large majority of players across Europe — a trait he shares with Lionel Messi.
According to StatsBomb, roughly 75 per cent of players are right footed, and of the 870 passes that are witnessed in the typical Premier League contest, around 66 per cent of those passes are made with a player’s right foot, which immediately paints Salah as a relatively unique superstar before adding his attacking firepower and his remarkable pace to the equation.
The Reds number 11 is the ultimate forward, as he possesses virtually every weapon in the book from creative passing to penetrative runs in behind opposition defenses to unpredictability on the dribble and everything in between. He is a true star, but he is now aged 31.
Salah will not be able to continue delivering on Merseyside forever, and his current contract is due to expire in 2025, meaning he could be sold by Liverpool next summer. Indeed, At-Ittihad attempted to attract him to Saudi Arabia just a few weeks ago, putting forward a verbal offer of around $188m (£150m/€175m) for his services.
The bid was rejected by the Reds, but Klopp might be more open to a sale in 12 months.
Replacing Salah will be an almost impossible task for Liverpool to complete, with the search for his potential successor likely to be underway behind the scenes. Finding another version of him will be like looking for a needle in a haystack, with all of Klopp’s offensive options being right-footed right now.
Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez are all righties, and the same applies to all four of Liverpool’s new signings in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endō, with midfielder Harvey Elliott being the only other left footer at the club who isn’t a defender.
It remains to be seen who will be identified as a solution, but over the course of the recent international break, a genuine heir to Salah’s throne might have emerged. A player by the name of Lamine Yamal made his debut for the Spanish national team, and to suggest that he grabbed the spotlight would be an understatement.
Aged just 16 and 57 days, he became his country’s youngest-ever player in the process, and he proved to be a nightmare for opposing defenders. The teenager is left footed, very fast and incredibly productive when engaging with opponents on the dribble, showcasing real technical quality and quick footwork to advance towards the penalty box.
The big problem, however, is that Yamal is contracted to Barcelona. The Spanish giants are going to do all they can to keep him at the Nou Camp, as he seems to be the next big thing as a wonderkid who has the perks to potentially become Messi’s successor.
Yamal has started three of Barcelona’s four La Liga matches this term, reducing the likes of Raphinha to a place on the bench, which is quite incredible considering his age. He could be one of the few who has the credentials to become the next Salah on the global stage, and even though he seems unreachable for Liverpool in terms of a transfer in the near future, he must surely be monitored by the Reds, purely as a means of keeping tabs on his future.
Barcelona has become known for suffering from financial issues in recent years, with Messi having to leave the club for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 because the Catalan club could not afford to keep him. Yamal seems extremely unlikely to follow him out of the door, but nothing is certain in football.
Overall, the apparent heir to Salah’s throne made a real statement over the international break. Liverpool will undoubtedly be aware of him, but whether Klopp will be able to attract him to Merseyside any time soon remains doubtful to say the least.
