There comes a time when a club has to face the idea of one of its superstars leaving. Not because of hostile and bitter circumstances, but because age has caught up with them and the right time has come to close the door on a glorious stay.
Steven Gerrard’s departure from Liverpool 10 years ago was a perfect example of this, but now the Anfield side are beginning to realize that Mohamed Salah is likely entering his final stages at the club, having signed a new contract worth £400,000 a week until the end of next season in April.
Last year was Salah’s year. The Egyptian forward decided that one Premier League trophy was not enough and embarked on a record-breaking journey to win his second title with Liverpool, scoring 29 goals and providing 18 assists over his time in the top flight.
The drop-off since the summer has been steep and a number of circumstances may have affected his performance, but Salah is 33 years old and rightly argues that a decline in the second half of his career is inevitable.
Liverpool need a new right-winger by the end of 2026/27, but they also need more energy and athleticism, and Salah is not the only one to blame for lacking those elements this season.
Liverpool ready to find Salah’s successor
Statistics are floating around regarding Liverpool’s running metrics and they are alarming to say the least. Liverpool have only outscored their opponents once in their last seven Premier League games.
Salah has become the epicenter of this struggle. The veteran winger’s defensive work rate has declined in recent years, but his insane level of prolificity has helped ease the frustration of this weakness.
But now that his sharp edges have dulled, Salah’s weaknesses are becoming clearer, with him ranking in the bottom four per cent of positions in the Premier League this season for tackles won and in the bottom 15 per cent for ball recoveries per 90, according to FBref.
Ball recoveries are defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
The sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich did not improve the situation, with the Colombian being one of the most energetic and tenacious forwards around. Liverpool did not directly replace Dias, who contributed 25 goals in all competitions under Arne Slott last year.
However, Liverpool could find a new version of the 28-year-old in Bayern teammate Michael Oliseh. According to sources in Spain, manager Richard Hughes is eyeing a move for the France international as part of Liverpool’s future plans, with the Reds even thought to be preparing a package worth a record €200m (about £177m) for the Frenchman.
Olise, 23, has been attracting attention in Germany since joining from Crystal Palace over a year ago, and FSG know they will need to replace Salah with an elite winger when the time comes.
What Olise offers Liverpool
Since signing for Bayern in a £50m deal, Olise has scored 27 goals and provided 30 assists in 72 games. Widely regarded as one of England’s most exciting young talents, he has established himself as a superstar and has been dubbed a ‘magical footballer’ by content creator HLTCO.
An elegant and intelligent wide forward, Oliseh is not a clinical goalscorer but boasts many athletic and technical qualities and could develop as Salah’s successor, particularly as he does not imitate the club legend’s playing style but rather brings his own flavor.
In the Bundesliga this season, for example, Les Bleus’ talented player has averaged 1.9 key passes, 1.7 successful dribbles and 4.2 duels, according to Sofascore, and has been involved in seven goals in just eight starts.
Looking at the potential additions from a broader perspective, we see that Olise has actually outperformed Salah in a number of key metrics over the past year. And that gulf will only widen over the next 18 months as Liverpool’s talisman appears to be fading in front of goal.
Mohamed Salah vs Michael Oliseh (last 12 months) | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | Salah | Olise |
Number of points | 0.62 | 0.38 |
assist | 0.33 | 0.50 |
shot taken | 3.08 | 3.55 |
The action that creates the shot | 3.96 | 6.60 |
touch (to pen) | 8.64 | 6.48 |
Pass completion rate (%) | 70.1 | 80.7 |
progressive path | 3.78 | 7.15 |
progressive carry | 4.13 | 4.90 |
successful take-up | 1.28 | 2.53 |
Number of balls collected | 2.77 | 3.95 |
Data via FBref | ||
Olise is not as absolute a goalscorer as Salah, but Liverpool could hit a jackpot with this.
Liverpool have revamped their central attacking options this summer with the signing of both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. Olise brings Diaz-like dribbling and unparalleled playmaking back to the Premier League and would be the perfect addition to help Slot’s overall team fluency.
On the surface, the Reds have the pieces to create and sustain incredible offensive play, but there’s no doubt that something is missing. That will become even more obvious once Salah leaves. Now that he is not playing in an A match, the struggle to get to the top can already be felt. Liverpool have relied on the iconic winger’s talents for a long time, but now they need a new solution.
It was a mistake on the part of FSG and Slott not to include a direct replacement for Dias in their squad this season, and its impact is certainly felt, magnified and accentuated by Salah’s own struggles on the right.
Had Salah’s youth been in this beleaguered Liverpool squad, the sale of Dias would have felt less serious. Now, it is vital that Liverpool and Hughes get their replacements right.
There aren’t many players better than Olise. And he is a world-class player in his own right, not an imitation, with the perfect playing style to step into the space that Salah will eventually vacate.
