Liverpool will know replacing Mohamed Salah is pretty much impossible at this stage. The Egyptian is one of the best players in world football and there are few who could live up to his talent at Anfield. However, the Reds will also be aware of the brewing transfer interest from Saudi Arabia.
During the summer, Saudi Arabian clubs flirted with the possibility of luring Salah to the league, but Liverpool rejected all of the advances. Perhaps back then it came too late in the transfer window.
For Liverpool, while allowing Salah to leave would be a huge loss, the club also has to consider the financial implications. Selling Salah for a lucrative deal could give the Reds the funds to rebuild the squad further and make the team stronger as a whole, much like Tottenham did after losing Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
The reality is, by the end of this season, Salah will be 32 years old and his time at the top will be limited to a few years, so financially it may be more sensible to sell him for maximum profit now rather than allow him to leave on a free when his contract expires in 2025.
In terms of replacements, while Salah is irreplaceable, there are plenty of right-wingers making waves in European football right now.
One of them who could be following the Diogo Jota path to Anfield is Wolves winger Pedro Neto, who according to Football Transfers is on Liverpool’s radar as a potential signing.
Neto has started this season brilliantly having made five assists and scored one goal in his last six Premier League games, including getting a brilliant assist against Liverpool last month as well as playing a huge hand in the 2-1 win over Manchester City, after which Pep Guardiola singled out the Portuguese star.
In the transitions, Neto was better than us,” Guardiola said (via City’s official website) They beat us in that position not because we were disorganised, but they were better in that position that we could defend well.”
Having come back from a serious ankle injury, it seems like he is finally back to his very best, the kind of form he was in before injuries halted his career in the last two seasons.
Given his explosive speed and very direct style, he is definitely someone who could suit the type of heavy metal football Jürgen Klopp likes his attackers to play.
Of course, Liverpool will have to monitor his performances closes this season, given his injury record, but on paper, Neto isn’t necessarily injury-prone. He has merely been unlucky in terms of suffering two serious injuries to his knee and ankle very close together which has seen him miss 79 games for club and country in the last two years.
But now, if he can continue in the same rhythm that he started this season, having shown no signs of his injuries leaving a mark on his speed or explosiveness, perhaps for the right price he is a risk worth taking for Liverpool.
Still only 23 years old, he is very much the kind of age profile Liverpool tends to target, and this could be a very smart move for the club.
