Manager Jurgen Klopp has sent a warning to the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, saying Mohamed Salah is irreplaceable and it will be impossible for Liverpool to sign a player of his caliber this summer. Salah announced on Tuesday that he would leave the Reds at the end of this season after reaching an agreement to terminate the final year of his contract.
Liverpool signed the Egyptian from Roma in June 2017 and Klopp managed him for seven seasons. Under the German’s guidance, Salah won the Champions League, Premier League, three domestic cups, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup. And when asked at an LFC Foundation event on Friday afternoon how his club could aim to replace the 33-year-old, who has scored 255 goals in 435 games for the Reds, Klopp replied:
“Someone will fill the void. It’s always in our minds how much time, how much space, what system the manager is going to play – how much time are we going to give the players who play there?”
“But a particular player, Mo Salah? I don’t even know if there are others. There are other players on that wing who play with different strengths, different qualities, but it’s the numbers he produces. They are unparalleled from that position.”
“I don’t know if there’s ever been a player with that[out there]. If you say he’s a winger, he’s a striker, he says, ‘No, no, no, I’m a winger.’ The winger numbers are () ridiculous. For a striker, it’s almost unparalleled. That’s what it is.”
“So if it’s not possible, why try? I’m not in a position to advise anyone. But just bring in the players and play the kind of football that can be successful. That’s pretty much all there is to it.”
“We lost Sadio Mane. You could sing about him. What a great player he was! Bobby Firmino – oh my God. The day Gini[Georginio Wijnaldum]left, probably no one thought, ‘It’s a big mistake.’ It wasn’t until he was no longer there that I thought, ‘Oh! He’s a combination of technique, power, tactical discipline and everything else.’
“Then Hendo (Jordan Henderson) left. Some of us were like, ‘Great! It’s time!'” Millie (James Milner) did all those things. That’s exactly right.
“But other players have come in – Macca (Alexis Mac Allister), Ryan (Gravenbert), Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai). That’s the way it is. Don’t try to chase shadows. Find new ways to play.”
