Liverpool have been linked with a lot of wingers over the last few months, as Sadio Mane’s absence during his participation in the African Cup of Nations’17, and due to his injury has exposed Liverpool’s apparent lack of depth in the squad.
It wouldn’t be possible for Klopp to go into next season with the same squad as they would get brutally exposed as the team would be playing in 4 competitions from the start. The qualification for Europe is assured, be it Champions League or Europa League. Hence the squad needs to be strengthened. More importantly, the star players need to be kept hold of. Liverpool cannot afford to lose the likes of Coutinho or Firmino and moreover, Klopp needs to sign players who complements his style of play.
The latest one to be linked with the Reds is Egyptian winger Mohammed Salah, who was close to a move to Liverpool, before eventually joining Chelsea. Goal have claimed that Liverpool are once again looking at the prospect of signing Salah. The player had revealed that Liverpool were chasing him since October 2013, before he joined the Blues in a £11m deal.
Salah revealed in April 2016,
“Liverpool had wanted me for a number of months. They had opened talks in October 2013. “Negotiations took a long time, because Basel rejected more than one offer. They felt the transfer fee was not that high. I was waiting for Liverpool [to agree terms with Basel] because I really like Liverpool. I was eager to join them.”
“But then I received a phone call from Mourinho and that changed everything. He explained the situation to me and told me that he needed me at Chelsea. That was one of the main reasons why I joined Chelsea. Mourinho told me that he thought I was a good player and that he wanted me to pick Chelsea.”
Now, Liverpool have once again been linked with a move for Salah, who is currently playing for AS Roma. Salah’s time at Chelsea did not go particularly well and he went out on loan to Fiorentina and then to Roma, before making a permanent move to the latter.
The Kop Times Verdict
Salah says that he was eager to join Liverpool and that the move did not materialise because the club did not agree to terms with Basel. So he seems to have joined Chelsea but he wasn’t really utilised well at the Bridge and has switched a couple of clubs. His loyalty can be questioned here but the situation seems to be the culprit.
Salah would be a good backup player for Liverpool and would solve the quality in depth issues prevailing at Anfield.
