Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes Mohamed Salah will stay at Anfield beyond this season amid his ongoing contract impasse.
The Egyptian's current contract expires at the end of this season and he has spoken out about the possibility of leaving the club.
Salah has had an excellent season so far, with 31 goals in the Premier League (18 goals, 13 assists), a league record.
Of those goals this season, sixteen came in the second half of the games. In the history of the competition, only Salah himself has scored more for Liverpool in a single season after half-time (18 in 2017/18).
Only seven players have created more chances than Salah in the Premier League this season (38), while he has had the third most shots in the division (74) behind Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo.
Klopp, who signed Salah from Roma in June 2017, hopes the striker will extend his stay at Anfield.
“I hope he stays. He is the greatest striker Liverpool have had in the modern era. Obviously there were other good strikers, very good strikers!” Klopp said this at his first press conference as Red Bull's head of global football.
“But a fantastic player, a fantastic person, an excellent athlete and the best ambassador your country can have.
“Fantastic, actually in almost all departments. So I hope he stays at Liverpool.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are also in the final six months of their contracts, with the former linked with a move to Real Madrid.
Klopp also brought the Dutchman to the club and promoted Alexander-Arnold, who came under fierce criticism for his performance against Manchester United earlier this month, to the first team, with both playing a big role in helping Liverpool to the top of the table Premier League. this season.
“I'm so happy they're doing well,” Klopp said. “I am in contact with Arne [Slot] and some players text. There is 0.1% who think I should still be there because they are doing so well.
“I watch as many games as I can because it is such good football, perhaps the best balanced team in the world at the moment.
“I'm so glad I'm not in charge of answering these questions right now and from my point of view I hope all three go through, but they haven't told me.”
After leaving Liverpool at the end of last season, Klopp was appointed to his new role at Red Bull, where he officially started on January 1.
Asked whether he would fire any of the three Liverpool players at Red Bull, Klopp joked: “Virgil would love to stay at Liverpool for another five years, and then 41, 42 years!
“Mo, we wouldn't have a chance to pay his wages. Trent? Yes, then he can learn to defend. It's so poor, it's so poor actually.
“I'm glad I don't answer it, I look at the press conferences when he had to talk about thinking.
“Yes, he didn't play well against Man United, but if you made a fuss about it when he plays well and when he doesn't, it would be a cool planet.”
Comments