"He's one of the best in the world" - Saudi Pro League general manager hints at potential move for Liverpool star Mohamed Salah amid contract saga
Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool has once again been a talking point overseas, with Saudi Pro League general manager of marketing communications Mohammed Basrawi expressing his desire to bring him to the Middle East.
Salah has been a key player for Liverpool since joining the club in 2017. While he is currently having a stellar season with the Reds, his existing contract will run out at the end of this season.
The Egyptian has already been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, with some clubs in the country’s top flight keen to acquire his services. Basrawi, who is one of Saudi Pro League’s top faces, recently spoke about uncertainty surrounding Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool.
In an interview with Marca, Basrawi claimed that the Egyptian is one of the best in the world and made it clear that the door is open for him.
"He's one of the best in the world, and very well-liked in the Arab community. I wish he'd come here; we've opened the doors for him, but, I insist, we don't negotiate that, and we don't know anything about it now. Don't get hung up on just the big names. Our job is more to raise the bar for everyone else," Basrawi said.
In the ongoing campaign, Mohamed Salah has scored 32 goals and provided 22 assists for Liverpool in 43 appearances across competitions.
''He’s not turned up in those games'' – Troy Deeny says Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is not world class after Carabao Cup final defeat
Troy Deeney has reiterated his claim that Mohamed Salah is not ''world class'' after Liverpool lost 2-1 to Newcastle at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final. Deeney had previously said Salah is not a world-class player while also claiming that he is not on the same level as Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr.
The Egyptian struggled to make an impact against the Magpies last Sunday, failing to register a shot on goal or create a chance for a teammate for the first time in his Liverpool career.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Deeney took a look at Salah’s struggles in the finals of every competition he has played and doubled down on his view that the Egyptian is not world class.
"When you look at the stats, he hasn’t scored or had an assist, when you look at it like that it’s quite difficult to argue against. You would say he’s not turned up in those games.
"This weekend, I just didn’t see a moment in that game where he looked like scoring. He played against them really well in Newcastle [in the Premier League]. When Liverpool are at their best, it goes all through Salah. It shows how much they will miss Trent (Alexander-Arnold). They do have Quansah and Bradley, but they are not the same quality.
"When coaches are looking at it the day before they will be saying if we double up on Salah we give Trent that dead ball space and he will kill us. They become predictable. I’m a big fan of Salah, I just don’t think he’s world class. His numbers and stats are excellent.''
The former Watford striker concluded by saying the world-class tag should be for players like Ronaldinho, Eden Hazard, and Luis Suarez.
"What I think of world class is that feeling you get when you watch someone, like Ronaldinho. Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez when they had those seasons in the Premier League too," Deeney said.
Mohamed Salah’s goalscoring record in the finals for Liverpool and Egypt is nothing to write home about. The 32-year-old has played 11 finals for both sides but has zero goals from open play. His only two goals have come from the penalty spot.
