FSG may disregard Liverpool policies for Mohamed Salah as final farewell in question

After reaching the last 12 months of his current contract, Mohamed Salah, a forward for Liverpool, has been questioned about his future at Anfield.

This season, Mohamed Salah’s most recent goal celebration has now been seen twice. In both instances, the striker is seen reaching behind his back to grab an imaginary arrow before firing it towards the Liverpool fans. But this week, the Egyptian purposefully missed the mark when it came to dispelling rumours about his long-term future with the team.

“I don’t want to think about next year, I don’t want to think about the future,” Salah replied. “Well, I have one year left, so let’s just enjoy. I simply came for a season. Simply enjoy it and don’t worry about anything, including the contract.”

Depending on how you see things, those remarks may make you feel like your glass is half full or half empty.

More optimistic supporters will point out that Salah is, and has demonstrated thus far this season, totally dedicated to the Liverpool cause, regardless of the status of his contract. He won’t be sidetracked, obviously.

More pessimistic observers, however, will interpret his evasive response as the first indication that the Egyptian is preparing Reds supporters for the final farewell before his current contract expires at the end of the season.

In this case, both camps could be right. Salah has never once let rumours of interest in moving elsewhere affect his performances, whether it was to Real Madrid during his Liverpool career or Saudi Arabia more recently.

However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that, if we take Salah’s statements at face value, not much seems to be moving in the direction of a new contract at Anfield.

Similar questions were posed to Virgil van Dijk following Sunday’s victory over Brentford regarding his own contract status, which, like Salah, currently allows him to speak with foreign teams starting in January and to walk away free the following summer.

Van Dijk declared, “I want to play the best season I can again.” “This year, I want to be significant and remain significant to the team. We’ll see what occurs in a year or two. I believe that everything happens for a reason. For present, there has been no change in my circumstances.”

Add Trent in there During the last quarter of the match against Brentford, Alexander-Arnold became quite upset over being replaced. Meanwhile, the three Liverpool players who have one year left on their contracts have all been major news this week.

The day after it became known to the public that Liverpool was interested in signing Juventus and Italy forward Federico Chiesa, Salah’s interview with Sky Sports was taped. Playing mostly on the right, Chiesa would provide the Egyptian with senior backup this season, something the Reds haven’t really had in previous years. In Salah’s absence, the team would have to mix and match by deploying players out of position.

Again, it depends on your point of view whether that is more about preparing for Salah’s absence in the future or relieving the player of some of the strain right now.

The approach for Chiesa highlights how Liverpool’s recruitment team, under the direction of new sporting director Richard Hughes, has prioritised moving players in and out of Arne Slot’s squad during the transfer window ahead of negotiating new deals. This was done shortly after a deal was reached for Valencia custodian Giorgi Mamardashvili.

That makes sense once more. And Hughes has certainly inherited something of a hospital pass considering that Liverpool’s captain, vice-captain, and top scorer are all set to reach their contract’s final year. But after the transfer deadline, getting to an agreement with the three people must be the only priority.

Salah would receive a boisterous farewell if he has already determined that this is his final season. After all, the Egyptian has dedicated his finest years to Liverpool. He is among the best football players to have ever worn a Liverpool shirt.

However, if Salah has the potential to play much longer—the Reds head coach Slot believes the 32-year-old still has years left in him at the highest level—it would be foolish to rule out any possibility of extending Salah’s tenure.

Salah is deserving of a little rule-bending because Michael Edwards, the chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group, has a reputation for producing imaginative work within constraints.

A rolling, incentive-based 12-month contract with a February 1 deadline for the player and club to agree on an extension is one proposal. There would be a certain amount of mobility for all parties, and everyone would know their position well in advance of the summer window.

Similar to Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool would be careful to avoid letting the matter go on too long. Regardless of the result, everyone will gain from clarity, including the players themselves, Slot, and the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, Salah will continue to do what comes naturally to him. Next up for him is a trip to Manchester United, his beloved team, where he made history last season as the first visiting player to score in four straight away league games.

But Reds supporters will be hoping that the Egyptian King’s reign at Old Trafford as a Liverpool player isn’t over.