His ambition to chase down Ian Rush’s
Liverpool goalscoring record makes it clear to
everyone where his heart lies – that he wants
to stay at the club for as long as possible. As
good as he is, even Salah is unlikely to score
nearly 200 goals in the next 13 months.
But asked whether he’s confident he will
indeed stay at Liverpool for a few years yet,
he’s unable to give us a definitive answer.
“I don’t know, I have one year left,” he
says. “I think the fans know what I want, but
in the contract it’s not everything about the
money at all. So I don’t know, I can’t tell you
exactly. I have one year left and the fans
know what I want.”
As he’s said publicly before, he reiterates
that, in an ideal world, his ambition has
always been to stay. “Yeah,” he says. “This
club means a lot to me – I’ve enjoyed my
football here more than anywhere, I gave
the club everything and everybody saw that.
I’m always trying to help the team, I’ve had
a lot of unbelievable moments here winning
trophies, individual goals, individual trophies.
I feel it’s like a family here.”
He insists he’s never been worried either,
about the possibility of going into the last
year of his deal with his future unresolved.
“I’m not worried, I don’t let myself worry
about something,” he says. “The season
hasn’t finished yet, so let’s finish the season
in the best possible way – that’s the most
important thing. Then in the final year we’re
going to see what’s going to happen. But
I don’t know, I don’t think about that a lot.
I’m just trying to enjoy the football, trying to
enjoy the season and that’s it.”
During the myriad newspaper articles that
have been written during these contract
negotiations, speculation even circulated
that other clubs might try to make a move
for him this summer. Given that he’s always
had a contract for the 2022-23 campaign,
new deal or not, he’s always been fully
expecting to be with Liverpool next term.
“Yeah. Er, I think so?” he says, sounding
surprised that it had even been speculated
about. “But if they want me to go, that’s
something different!” he says, with a laugh
that suggests he’s not entirely serious. Just
like Salah has always wanted to remain at
Liverpool, the club have long since made it
clear they want to keep him – after everything
he’s achieved, that’s no surprise to anyone.
The bond between Salah and Liverpool
has become so strong that whenever the
FourFourTwo June 2022 37MO
SALAHLiverpool fans have been privileged to
watch some of the finest footballers in
the world grace the Anfield turf but,
arguably for the first time in history,
the best player on the planet now plays
for the Reds.
For exactly that reason, watching Mo
Salah has been an honour for Kopites –
we know that this player and these times
are a luxury to be enjoyed. Just like we
appreciated some of the greats of the
game playing for the opposition, now we
know how much it means to have this
opportunity in front of our eyes each week.
When Salah is truly on his game,
twisting and turning the opposition left-
back, you can feel the appreciation and
anticipation from the Anfield stands.
When he collects the ball in that pocket
just on the edge of the box and starts
another jinking dribble into the area, themind instantly gives flashbacks to similar
goals, of which there are now plenty, most
notably against Manchester City, Spurs,
Everton and Arsenal.
When he collects the ball deeper and
starts running at back-tracking defenders,
darting into space down the wing, you recall
such Champions League nights as Roma and
City away – and his celebration, both arms
outstretched, after his dinked goal at the
Etihad in 2018, now immortalised as part
of a mural of Salah on Anfield Road (above).
Salah might not be remembered as the
Reds’ greatest ever player – that debate will
probably always be between King Kenny and
Steven Gerrard – but in terms of consistency
and contribution to the club, he should be at
the very top of the conversation.
Perhaps only once he leaves can his legacy
be truly evaluated and put into perspective.
We’re witnessing a true football great here.Matt Ladson from This Is Anfield explains what the Egyptian
King means to Liverpool lovers who watch him every week...“WATCHInG SALAH EVERY
WEEK IS A PRIVILEGE”
Below Salah is
determined to
break Rush’s all-
time goal record