Are Liverpool taking £100m risk on Mohamed Salah? Former Reds striker discusses apparent Saudi transfer snub & the need for Darwin Nunez to step up as 20-goal support for Egyptian superstar

There was talk of interest being shown in Salah from the Middle East during the summer of 2023. Eye-watering amounts of money were said to have been put on the table at that point, but Premier League giants at Anfield shunned those advances. That remains the case 12 months on, with a talismanic presence on Merseyside entering the final year of his contract.

Quizzed on whether Liverpool are taking a gamble with Salah, or whether confidence should be taken when it comes to possible fresh terms, ex-Reds striker Emile Heskey – speaking in association with 888sport – told GOAL: “It’s a good sign because how do you replace 20-plus goals a season over that amount of time? It’s difficult. If you can keep it, you keep it. There are not many doing that, at all. It’s a difficult decision to run the risk of losing someone for free. But if you cant replace that, it’s no good having a load of money.”

Heskey added on the figures that have been bandied around when it comes to a transfer for Salah: “If it was 150, I would be taking it. But then you still run the risk of not getting what you want. You can’t replace that. He is guaranteed. It’s a good dilemma to have. But it’s very tough because you run the risk of not getting it right.”

With Salah looking to stay put, he will require assistance from those around him in order to keep Liverpool competitive in 2024-25. It is shaping up to be a big campaign for Darwin Nunez, with the Reds still looking for the Uruguayan frontman to become a 20-goal-a-season star. Heskey added on what he is needed from the South American forward: “I think he needs to contribute a little bit more than he is. He doesn’t necessarily need to be 20. We were spoilt for so long with 30 on one side [Salah], 25 on the other side [Sadio Mane] and 15 down the middle [Roberto Firmino]. Now, we’ve still got the 30 but we need the others to chip in. He needs to be 15-20 goals a season, and someone else matching that – possibly a midfielder. [Dominik] Szoboszlai looks like he could be that, particularly with the way that he strikes the ball. We need more goals from there.”

Whoever lines up for Liverpool, they are entering a new era without Jurgen Klopp at the helm. Asked what success will look like during Arne Slot’s debut campaign – with lessons taken from previous high-profile coaching departures made by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger – Heskey said: “As a Liverpool man that would be it for me, don’t implode. Top four, let’s see. Let’s see the philosophy. It’s tough to change. It’s no longer Klopp, it’s total change. Let’s see the philosophy. That would be it for me – top four.”

Liverpool will spend part of the summer in the United States – facing Real Betis, Manchester United and Arsenal – before returning to England in time for a Premier League opener against newly-promoted Ipswich on August 17.