Liverpool will be left with a huge void in their squad after Mohamed Salah leaves the club at the end of the season, with Arne Slott calling on other players to step up.
Mohamed Salah leaves Liverpool at the end of this season (Image: Getty)
Manager Arne Slott has admitted it is “probably impossible” to find a replacement for Mohamed Salah on his own, and admitted Liverpool will instead rely on last summer’s signings after Salah’s departure. Salah will leave Liverpool this summer after nine years, leaving a huge hole that needs to be filled.
The 33-year-old forward won two Premier League titles, the Champions League and a host of other accolades, and recently announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season. He scored 255 goals for the club, the third most of all players, and will go down in history as one of the best players in the club’s history.
Despite a difficult season, Salah has played in 34 games in all competitions this season, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists. And Liverpool fans will nostalgic memories of his trademark, cutting inside from the right and finding the back of the net with his left foot.
Liverpool spent £320m last summer on reinforcements to their attacking line-up, including Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak, and Slott says the bulk of the responsibility to fill Salah’s squad will fall on their shoulders.
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“Of course,” Slott said on Friday when asked if Liverpool had plans to replace Salah. “We’re not starting to work on it now, because we’re always working on things we can improve on. “This hasn’t been talked about too much, but it was the 88th minute when Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirths were on the pitch together.
“So let’s first look at and think about how it all works together and gives us so much. There’s never just one player who can replace Mo. Otherwise, there would be 15 or 20 Mos, and he’s unique. That’s why he’s so special.”
“We can’t find a replacement for Mo. Maybe we can, but he won’t be there. Yes, I am (involved in the summer plans). I understand why you are asking this question.”
Arne Slott will demand more from Alexander Isak next season (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
While getting the best out of last summer’s new signings is a top priority, Slott feels the role of wingers in the Premier League has also changed significantly and players who fit Salah’s mold will become increasingly rare.
He added: “The way the league has changed may not have much to do with the winger positions we need to employ. But we recognize that English football has changed. We always try to stick to our style, but we can’t close our eyes to the new reality: it’s not just low blocks, it’s also set piece after set piece.”
“One of the reasons we weren’t successful in the first half of the season was mainly set-pieces. Yes, I’m fully involved in next season and we’re having those discussions too. How can we unblock the low blocks? Now the England manager (Thomas Tuchel) has an opinion on that.”
Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA, Getty Images)
“As Mo and Luis Diaz found out last season, wingers are very important in breaking road blocks. But there’s more to be aware of, like defending set-pieces, long throw-ins and any play the team makes.
“Maybe the reason we have players with long throw-ins is because he scored straight away against Nottingham Forest in the game with Joe Gomez. So you try to get the team in the best possible shape and that’s probably why it’s impossible to replace Mo one-on-one.”
“So we have to find a way to make the team stronger, but if Alex, Hugo and Florian can all play more than 88 minutes this year, the team will already be stronger.”
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