“They went to the next level” - Paul Robinson compares Liverpool star’s contract standoff to Philippe Coutinho’s sale
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has compared the situation of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool to that of Philippe Coutinho when the Brazilian superstar left Anfield.
The former Tottenham Hotspur keeper has suggested that the Reds could opt to choose to cash in on their star forward and reinvest the funds from his sale in the squad.
When the Merseyside club lost Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona on a mega-money deal, they did exceptionally well to use the money to strengthen their squad. The duo of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker were signed from the funds raised from Coutinho's sale. The duo have been vital players for the Reds ever since.
Robinson believes that the Merseyside giants could repeat the trick with Salah. However, he reckons that the 29-year-old leaving the club would leave 'a massive void' at Anfield. Robinson told Football Insider:
"We have seen Liverpool do it before with Coutinho and [Luis] Suarez. The £140million they got for Coutinho ended up benefitting the club with the Alisson and Van Dijk signings. They put it back into the team and they went to the next level Could they do that again? It remains to be seen. Personally, I think Salah would leave a massive void that would be very difficult to fill.”
STAT: Only two players in Premier League history have reached 20 goals and 10 assists more than once:
#awlive [goal]
📊 STAT: Only two players in Premier League history have reached 20 goals and 10 assists more than once:
• Thierry Henry
• Mohamed Salah
King. 👑 #awlive [goal] https://t.co/2MpkuKnXUD
Mohamed Salah's contract with the Anfield side expires in the summer of 2023. Talks between the Egyptian's entourage and the club seem to have reached a standstill.
Amid speculation regarding the future of the superstar, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Salah has no plans to leave this summer. Romano has also claimed that Salah could leave on a free transfer at the end of his contract in 2023.
Should Liverpool part ways with Mohamed Salah?
Just because selling Coutinho and reinvesting that money in the squad worked in the past, it does not mean it will once again. The Liverpool owners should also understand that they are not the club they used to be four-and-a-half years back.
The Anfield side were very much a work in progress back then under Jurgen Klopp. However, they are now one of the best teams in Europe.
Salah can justify 400k a week
more when he doesn’t play
Salah is also one of the best players in the world. This means there is little chance that the club find a replacement for the 29-year-old who could score as many goals. The Egyptian has scored a total of 153 goals in 239 games for the Anfield club till date.