Jamie Carragher applauded Liverpool for finding a way to re-sign Mohamed Salah for another three years, feeling the club had to go to whatever length to keep the “Liverpool legend.”
Salah, 30, is coming off a season in which he led the Premier League in both goals (23, tied with Son Heung-min) and assists (13), but there were rumors that the club was considering selling him if he refused to sign an extension.
Salah is currently under contract with the club until the end of the 2024-25 season, earning £350,000 a week.
Carragher told Sky Sports News that seeing Sadio Mane and Salah leave in quick succession would have been difficult, and that the sale of Divock Origi likely provided Liverpool with the financial flexibility to match their Egyptian star’s demands.
“It was terrible to see that front three break apart after losing Mane,” he remarked. “Many Liverpool fans had become accustomed to the likelihood that Salah would serve out the final 12 months of his contract and then leave the club.
“Perhaps the club was unwilling to go the numbers he desired or believed he deserved, and he would depart the club.
“But I believe Origi and Mane have moved on, and Liverpool have brought in perhaps one attacking player on comparable pay [in Darwin Nunez]. The fact that two have left and one has arrived suggests that they may be getting closer to the numbers Salah desired.
“I think everyone is simply thrilled Salah has signed, and fingers crossed he can produce what he has produced over the last five years over the next three years – and I am confident he can.”
Carragher went on to say that it was a change in the club’s spending policy, but one that was required when you have a player like Salah.
“Under [owners Fenway Sports Group], Liverpool have never really reached that level in terms of numbers,” he remarked.
“I believe that many Liverpool fans embrace that model because it has brought the club a lot of success, and they virtually accept how they do things – not just with player contracts, but also with signing players.
“I don’t think there would have been much criticism if Salah had left, but when you have someone as unique as Salah, the rules that must be in place must be bent from time to time.
“You don’t have to shatter them, but you do have to get closer to a situation you don’t want to be in.
“Salah is already a Liverpool icon, and if he’d left in a year, he’d still be a legend.
“What players like him, Alisson, Van Dijk, and Mane have done to change the face of Liverpool Football Club, along with the manager, means they will all be remembered as superstars regardless of when they leave the club and for what cause.
“I believe the fans are grateful for what these players have given. Salah will leave the club as one of the best five or six players in club history.”
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