Arne Slot admits the financial package required to secure Mohamed Salah’s long-term future at Liverpool may be increasing due to his incredible form.
Salah was majestic again in the 2-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday, scoring and assisting to take his number of goal contributions for the season to 41 from just 27 games.
The Egyptian is on course to break the record for the most goal contributions in a single Premier League season, a record currently held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, who both managed 47 from 42 matches.
Magnificent, Mo 🤩 pic.twitter.com/1lHpt9QgUa
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 25, 2025
Salah’s efforts have contributed to Liverpool holding an 11-point lead at the top of the table ahead of tomorrow night’s game with Newcastle at Anfield and Slot’s men appear certainties to win the title.
Contract expires at the end of the season
What happens then remains up in the air regarding Salah as his contract expires in June but Slot is hoping the 32-year-old remains on Merseyside into next season.
Asked if his recent exploits have made negotiations more difficult, Slot said: “You can look at that in both ways because the better he does the more expensive he may become but if he was doing bad, we would be having second thoughts about extending his contract. I think for everyone it is the best that he brings in the performances he is now.
“Maybe for the one that has to pay him it isn’t the best but for everyone else it is the best because if you want to play at this club you need to be at his level otherwise you are almost useless to play at this club.
“We only need players that are at the top of their game because this is one of the best if not the best club in the world to play for. He needs to have these performances to play here and hopefully to extend here.”
No comparisons with Messi and Ronaldo
Salah’s goals and assists tally this season means he has been compared to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their pomp, but Slot was not willing to delve into it that deeply.
He added: ”It’s so difficult to compare players with each other and it’s not fair to anyone. Mo has had his own career and he has been outstanding.
“Mo has had some outstanding seasons here at Liverpool and we hope he can continue this for a longer period of time but first he needs to extend his contract.”
As it stands, Salah is the leading contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, although there is plenty of time left for other players to make a mark. And Slot admitted players that win team awards are normally favoured.
“It’s a good thing that Mo is in the discussion because it means he is doing well and we are doing well but for him to stay in that discussion he should bring in the same performances as he’s done for seven or eight months now,” he said.
“I think in general someone who wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well so it’s a great challenge that is in front of us and in front of him. What I like is that he takes this challenge by not only scoring a big goal and a great assist against Man City but he also wanted the team to win because his defensive work rate, especially in the second half, was outstanding.
“I think that is what it takes for us to have a chance of winning something and if we as a team can win something, he will have a far better chance to win the Ballon d’Or.”
Wholesale changes unlikely
Slot is set to resist the temptation to rotate his team too much against Newcastle after his recent experimentation at Plymouth in the FA Cup saw his fringe players produce a poor display in a 1-0 defeat.
He added: “These players are trained for this and they are ready for this. They are in a certain rhythm and they have shown this season many times that they are able to but it was the reason that I changed the line-up so drastically against Plymouth because I don’t think you can do this all season.
“You need once every four or five weeks, a normal week and what I mean by a normal week is two games a week, not three games a week. Of course, it hurt us in the FA Cup but it also means that these players are now able to play five games in a row at the highest possible level.”
Alexis Mac Allister is likely to be fit but Conor Bradley remains sidelined.
