Liverpool right to ignore Mohamed Salah warning despite Virgil van Dijk claim

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Liverpool were right to ignore Jamie Redknapp’s warning and end months of transfer speculation by agreeing to make Mohamed Salah the highest-paid player in the club’s history. The Sky Sports pundit previously claimed the Reds should not ‘give anyone more money than Virgil van Dijk’.

Salah put pen to paper on a three-year contract earlier this month, with reports indicating the forward will now be paid in excess of £350,000 per week. Bonuses are also said to be part of the incentivised agreement for the 30-year-old.

Salah enjoyed another stellar season and has now netted 156 goals in 254 appearances. However, despite this sustained excellence, Redknapp feared the consequences for Liverpool if they made the Premier League Golden Boot winner their top earner.

Speaking in May as the season drew to a close, the former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder justified this stance by insisting van Dijk was the only irreplacable at the club. Jurgen Klopp moved swiftly to replace Sadio Mane with Darwin Nunez, and Redknapp is confident there would have been ‘another great striker’ who could have filled the void left by Salah.

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He told Sky Sports: “The players have the power. One thing I learned from being at this club is that they will reward you and look after you when you are doing well.

“But sometimes if we give him big money… wouldn’t give anyone more money than Virgil van Dijk. He should be on the most. They will find another Mo Salah but you won’t find another van Dijk. There will always be another great striker who comes to this club.”

It is fair to say Liverpool would not be able to find ‘another van Dijk’ should the Netherlands international ever push for an exit. However, it is difficult to see who Klopp could have found to even come close to matching Salah’s continued output.

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The former AS Roma star has passed the 20-goal mark in the Premier League in every season bar one since arriving at Anfield in 2017. Liverpool paid £34m for Salah’s signature five years ago, and would have likely had to cough up double or even triple that value to find someone capable of delivering a similar return.

Manchester City’s capture of goal machine Erling Haaland is an anomaly thanks to a release clause. Liverpool have just had to agree a potential club-record deal to land Nunez, a player backed to succeed by Klopp but one who has been signed on the back of one standout season in Portugal.

Nothing is ever guaranteed in football, but in Salah the Reds have something close to that with a consistent goalscorer who is almost always available. Reports indicate the new contract still fits within the club’s wage structure, and it will likely prove to be the smart financial play that could save them millions in the long term.

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