Mo Salah contract extension could now be complicated by absence of key FSG man | OneFootball

Replacing Mo Salah will be a far from simple task for Liverpool Football Club. Yet, there’s every possibility it becomes an inevitability given the complexities around extending his Anfield stay.

The Egyptian international is already reportedly on £350,000-a-week (notwithstanding performance-related bonuses) – a figure that accounts for roughly 14.12% of the playing staff’s weekly payroll (Capology).

Current performance levels aside this term (20 goal contributions in 17 games thus far), there is a potential upside to allowing the 32-year-old to depart in the next summer transfer window.

The funds from his wages alone would certainly be enough to secure a long-term replacement, provided one can be identified. The obvious downside, of course, is that you’d be losing Salah — a stalwart and legendary figure of the club who has averaged a goal or assist every 92.17 minutes since his arrival in 2017.

What possible replacement can compete with these figures?

Mike Gordon’s absence may affect Mo Salah deal

Mike Gordon played a key part in Mo Salah’s last contract extension – (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

One further point to consider in all this is the return of former sporting director Michael Edwards.

The arrival of the now CEO of Football with FSG effectively saw Mike Gordon take a step back from his hands-on duties running the club on the day-to-day.

Given that FSG’s president okayed Mo Salah’s last contract renewal, as reported by Paul Joyce for The Times, this potentially complicates matters.

Edwards, for one (and one imagines Richard Hughes also by extension), will only be motivated by visions of the future instead of our No.11’s current contributions under Arne Slot. Perhaps to a more extreme extent than his predecessor.

How long should Mo Salah's contract offer be?

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Liverpool know when to let go

Admittedly, we’ve built up a pretty solid reputation for letting players go at the right time.

Gini Wijnaldum (2021) and Bobby Firmino (2023) stand out as prominent examples either side of the former sporting director initially calling time on his Liverpool stay in 2021.

Neither have exactly gone on to light the footballing world ablaze outside of Merseyside.

The key difference with Salah, however, is that the ex-Chelsea attacker looks primed to remain a force of nature for several years to come.

The Egyptian’s best years, judging by his physical condition and ongoing output, look far from totally spent.

In that case, can we really justify allowing another top European side to make use of such a potent offensive weapon? We appreciate things may depend on our top scorer’s entourage showing a willingness to bend in negotiations.

However, it currently remains unclear which party is mainly responsible for the hold-up.