The great Ashley Cole of the Premier League has been talking about Mohamed Salah, the forward for Liverpool. The Egyptian ace has once again been utterly ignored.
Mohamed Salah, a forward for Liverpool, was considered a one-season wonder by the end of his rookie season in 2017 after coming as a surprise signing for many. But after another 167 goals, the Egyptian is still going strong and has established himself as one of the best trade deals ever.
Nevertheless, he continues to be underestimated even now. Ashley Cole, a former defender for Chelsea and Arsenal, has been the latest victim of that well-known trap, according to Match Attax on TikTok. When asked which of Salah and Bukayo Saka he preferred, Cole answered, “Now or in their prime? All right, Saka and I are going.”
Salah and Saka combined for 14 assists across all competitions last season (and the former would have had a couple more if Darwin Nunez hadn’t been quite so wasteful). The Egyptian scored five more goals (25 vs. 20) despite missing three games due to injury.
What is the reason for the belief that Saka has surpassed the Egyptian? The Arsenal player is younger and consequently more in-the-know, and his English heritage always adds something special to those discussions in the UK.
Salah is taken for granted since he has been doing this for so long. As the season came to a close, Arsenal’s collective performance exceeded that of Liverpool’s, garnering greater attention in the process. Undoubtedly, the recency bias also influences the situation.
But the truth is that Salah is still incredibly important to Liverpool. His stats are the greatest of all the forwards Arne Slot will inherit, and he remains among the best in the world.
There is only one winner when it comes to pivotal moments in the last third, even though Saka may have the advantage and Salah may not have the same blistering pace. The Liverpool player continues to have more sway.
That won’t last forever, but Liverpool has enough cause to offer its number 11 a new contract this summer, even if Saka does surpass Salah the following campaign. There’s only a year remaining on his contract, so something needs to be decided.
But Salah is not just the most effective attacker for Liverpool; he is also an extremely valuable asset. Although he’s not going anywhere this summer, it would be foolish to lose him in 2025 on a free agent.
Signing him to a contract makes sense not just from an economic one but also, for the time being, from a footballing one. Even though Saka is the more recent addition to the forward line, he still has a ways to go before he is regarded as a player on par with Salah. These figures support that and clarify the necessity of a new agreement for the Egyptian people.
