Mohamed Salah is at the center of a long saga over his future intentions at Liverpool, with the Egyptian’s agent doing little to stem the endless rounds of speculation about his social media activity.
As it is, the superstar player at Anfield, with 148 goals for the Reds to his name, only has a contract until the summer of 2023. The club are obviously keen to re-sign him to a new deal, but Salah and his team are likely. that the agent is waiting for the best price, as Salah’s importance to the Reds becomes clearer by the day.
There has been a lot of discussion about the new terms, as well as the player’s salary demands, and no document has yet been signed to keep the rumors going.
Salah’s agent has further stoked the fire with a cryptic message on social media that fans flocked to replies and message boards to discuss.
What did Salah’s agent post?
Ramy Abbas Issa is the man tasked with managing Salah’s career off the pitch. He helped craft new terms for his client on Merseyside in 2018 after a 44-goal debut campaign saw a new fan favorite emerge at Anfield.
Issa has been involved in more discussions in recent months, but has yet to see an offer presented that suits all parties.
Now he has posted an image on social media that has fans around the world reading between the lines what his message could be.
Clarifying the meaning of the post, fans have come to some conclusions and theories.
The image in question is clearly old, as Liverpool switched from New Balance to Nike as their kit manufacturer in 2020. It is therefore not considered a clue that Salah has accepted the deal Reds fans crave.
Instead, fans and the media suggest that Issa is cryptically hinting that the terms currently being offered are considered ridiculous.
It could also be a response from the Salah camp to a couple of reports on Wednesday. The first appeared on twitter that Salah agreed to a new deal, turning down a massive offer from Paris Saint-Germain. The report is from unverified Twitter user @indykaila, a self-proclaimed transfer insider with over 340,000 followers. The second came from the Sports Illustrated affiliate site. LFC Transfer Room which revealed Salah’s salary demands at around $550,000 a week, or a whopping $28.6 million a year, which would be the equivalent of Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.
The image could be a cryptic message from Salah’s agent laughing at one of those as a false report.
Perhaps there will be nothing and, with Salah currently away from home with his country at the African Cup of Nations, the global icon’s representative is simply looking to stir the pot before a more definitive announcement is made about future plans, or even more. . I simply wanted to post an image of a happy Salah enjoying life at Anfield. Still, a post with a clear intent seems more likely than one with a harmless, innocent context.
Context of Salah’s contract negotiations
Salah’s contract expires in the summer of 2023, which means that if he makes it to the end of this season without agreeing to an extension, Salah would be entering the final year of his contract.
In the event that the Egyptian arrives next January without an extension, he could reach a pre-contract with another club, with the Egyptian leaving Anfield for free. That would be a catastrophic loss for Liverpool, with Salah playing like one of the best players in the world, if not. the better.
Salah has scored 148 goals and assisted a further 56 in 229 games for Liverpool in all competitions, giving him nearly a goal-per-game contribution during his time at Anfield. This season, Salah equaled Jamie Vardy’s mark of 15 consecutive games with a goal contribution, a streak that included an incredible 14 goals and seven assists.
Ever since Salah and teammate Sadio Mane departed for the Africa Cup of Nations, Liverpool have looked toothless up front, which only serves to further confirm Salah’s importance to the team. The Egyptian has also won several awards during his time at Anfield.
From Liverpool’s perspective, the club will have to be careful with their offer. Seeing Salah leave this summer for a fee or next year for free would be a blow to the club’s short-term plans, with supporters outraged at the departure of a fan favorite.
Still, with Salah turning 30 this summer, a long-term deal would see Salah paying salaries commensurate with one of Europe’s top stars well past his prime, and while he would surely be worth the money in the near future, possible decline in the future. I could see a lot of money locked up in an aging star.