Give Mo his dough? – In Liverpool’s game of contract chess, the magical Mohamed Salah has them in checkmate
1 min readLiverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates with teammates after scoring their third goal against Newcastle at St James Park in Newcastle last night. Photo: AP Photo/Ian Hodgson
If delaying and running the clock down formed part of Liverpool’s negotiating strategy, the problem they have is that, with every game, Mohamed Salah further strengthens his hand in contract talks. There can be a reason to wait before committing to a player in his thirties, to see if there is evidence of decline. Not when the player is Salah.
He can seem the great exception, in this as in much else, the man who improves with time. While Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino languish in Saudi Arabia, lucratively rewarded for the reputations forged at Anfield, their old sidekick was spinning and shooting, scoring and starring in the Tyneside rain, equalling a personal best, setting a Premier League record.