Salah has spoken out about his lack of a formal contract offer at Liverpool and one former player tells the ECHO what might have prompted his comments.
Emile Heskey says Mohamed Salah’s comments about his frustration over his contract situation at Liverpool shows he wants “more love” to be shown by the board. However, he suggests his contract might not be the most imperative to get sorted.
Salah has voiced his disappointment at not being able to agree terms over a renewal, having underlined his eagerness to stay at Anfield. “We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club, [so] I’m probably more out than in,” he said after scoring twice against Southampton in Sunday’s 3-2 win.
“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future.
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“I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see. Of course [no offer is disappointing], yeah.”
Heskey – who played 223 matches for Liverpool between 2000 and 2004 – believes his comment sends a message to the club’s top brass. However, he underscored that contract negotiations are never straightforward.
“He’s such a valuable asset for Liverpool – not just on the football pitch but off it as well,” Heskey told the ECHO. “[But] it won’t be just as straightforward as just offer him a contract, there are so much intricacies that goes into that.
“There’s different procedures and some players want a bit more intimacy. They want to be cuddled, they want patting on the back, their head caressed.
“It’s just understanding what certain players want. And I guess he wants a bit more love from them [Liverpool], which they should be giving at the end of the day – for what he’s doing and what he’s done. What he continues to do is outstanding.”
Salah’s brace on Sunday means he has now scored 12 goals in 18 matches this season, having also tallied 10 assists. Heskey says the Egyptian’s in-game figures are jaw-dropping but it might actually be Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract that is most vital.
Liverpool CEO Richard Hughes has made it his priority to nail the defender down to a new deal amid links with Real Madrid. The player himself – who can speak to overseas clubs from January – says he can only commit his future to the club until the end of the season.
Heskey admitted it was “difficult” to say which star’s future should be decided first but believes Alexander-Arnold might be the one supporters want the most. “When you’re talking about local, Trent’s the most important,” he added.
“He is the local lad, he feels that connection with the club. He has that connection with the fans. He is what every Liverpool lad and fan wants to achieve. So they inevitably are playing their dreams out through him.
“But then you look at Mo Salah and what he’s achieved and what he’s still achieving. Again, he would look at himself as being the most important.
“It’s fascinating that we look at Mo and we don’t really take into account the actual magnitude of his achievements over the years. Just constantly putting 20 plus goals a season.
“And then 30 plus goal involvements a season with assists included – that is very astounding numbers… and we still want more from him! It is crazy.
“And then obviously you’ve got Virgil [van Dijk] who is a man mountain and we believe he’s our leader and he’s our captain. He’s our leader.
“He’s the one that gives you that strength and solidarity. He’s the one that brings everything together when it comes to defensive. So they’ve all got different roles to play.”
Emile Heskey was speaking to the Liverpool ECHO courtesy of William Hill.
