Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

Yeah, it's nonsense. His line seems to be that he wants a certain amount of money because of the "prestige" and "respect" that goes along with it. At least be honest - it's about the money.

Maybe it's that Salah wants a 5 year deal at X wages but the club are offering a 4 year deal at X wages? I dunno but it is dragging on too much for my liking, and too publicly. Salah's side definitely applying the pressure anyways.

I wouldn't say it's quite 'all about the money'... like, the sticking point is definitely money, but it's not 'I want the most money I can get', as if that was the case we wouldn't even be in the running. He'd be out the door and getting probably 50% more than we'll ever be able to offer somewhere else.

I think it's more of a "I want to stay, I'll take a financial loss, but there's a limit to the potential loss I'm willing to take", and it's just a case of them trying to find that balance. I mean, I get it. It's the last big payoff he'll get for playing football in his career most likely. I just hope they can find the win/win scenario between his max worth, and what doesn't feel financially negligent to accept.

Liverpool could be offering 4 year contact with an extra one year option where as Salah wants 5 year?

MC spending on Haaland, RM and PSG fighting over Mbappe, not a done deal for RM yet. Bayern don’t know but the final outcome of Mbappe might move the Salah situation. Strangely Salah not in the upcoming World Cup (mid season now) might actually increase his value due to no possibility of injury during the WC.

If he really wanted 500k a week I'm not sure any negotiations would even be taking place. Like, that's at least 25% above the highest figures Liverpool will realistically be stretching to.

Club need to set a deadline on this, more riddles and confusion today. My preference is we let him run down the contract instead of selling. I'm not fussed anyway I'm long past been bothered about any player leaving.

Id offer him a fiver a week and a million euro goal bonus! As he gets older he gets cheaper!

I still think he'll sign. But it's an unusual spot for Liverpool, in years past the player had all the power. Right now I'd edge the power slightly in the clubs favour as there's not many landing spots for Salah right now and the team is one of the top few in Europe. And I think he actually wants to stay.

I also think Klopp and Mane will sign extensions of some sort in the summer. Firmino and Keita could go any way, extension, sold or leave on a free in a year. If either leave his summer they'll be replaced or you see a young replacement brought in and given a year to settle.

Ox, Origi, Minamino of the main squad leave. Replaced by Carvalho and a CM under the age of 25.

Milner stays and gets a further reduced role. Neco stays until after the World Cup due to fixture congestion and then goes on loan. Although clubs might be banging down the door to get him in the summer as I think his price is only going up.

Tsimikas and Gomez could also get offers in the summer. Both good players not getting a lot of him.

In my opinion, the Salah negotiation is about trying to value his age 32 - 34 seasons correctly. Awarding Salah a "prestige" contract now when he turns 30 in June and is working through another incredible season is fully supportable. He has earned it. He is likely to be operating at a "prestige" level at the start of next season, but for every subsequent season, the risks around a significant decrease in availability and performance increase.

People think of athletes aging as a curve. We imagine it as a gradual predictable decrease in performance from peak years to retirement. Instead, we should think of it as flipping a weighted uneven coin or drawing a lottery where the ratio of balls containing adverse outcomes increases substantially. Salah could keep performing at a similar level through his age 34 season. But also, he could start missing more significant amounts of games. Or he could lose a yard of pace. And the odds of these outcomes decrease with every year that passes from here.

The club probably should sell on Salah and Mane and reinvest the fees in younger replacements. The fallout from such a decision will be difficult and painful, but this way, we control the timing and proactively get ahead of the inevitable. Salah and Mane are doubtful to be operating at this level of availability and performance during the 2024/2025 season. And paying for their age 33 and age 34 years at a level commensurate to their performance during their age 26 to age 30 seasons is likely to be bad business. We've had a great run. It's time to move on.

Club first for me too. If he's not signing I'm defo keeping him next season. He gets 5 weeks rest when everyone else is going to burn out after the world cup. Send him off with more medals. Thanks for all the fish.

You’re right - we can’t get better by letting Salah / Mane go, at least not in the short term.

But this is happening either way. Time is undefeated. You have to make a decision on whether you are going to be paying hundreds of thousands of pounds a week to Mane and Salah age 32 to age 34 now. Because if you don’t want to pay for those years (and you shouldn’t) they just be sold this summer, when they are 30 and retain reasonable value.

This is tough, it is. We can choose to sign extend everyone and have the team age together and Klopp will leave an aging overpaid squad behind. This is how you recreate a 30 year league title drought.

But we can’t expect to play this type of football successfully rotating in Firmino / Mane / Salah and expecting them to press aggressively as 33 year olds. Or crossing our fingers that they maintain their pace and athleticism and continue to produce at this level. This time was always coming. Let’s manage the fallout when Klopp is there and we are strong all throughout the squad in other positions AND as attractive to up and coming young players as we’ll ever be in terms of signing replacements.

I don't see anyone even buying Mo this summer bar maybe PSG if Mbappe leaves and he probably wouldn't be interested in that move. Recent history with Can, Gini etc has shown we'd rather use the players while we own them than sell and suffer earlier than we need to. Also assumes Mo would accept leaving, its much better for his bank balance to leave on a free too.

That didn't take long.

Nearly 60 goal difference between Utd and ourselves, in all utds years of PL dominance I don't think we ever fell that far behind.

This is not the game to be hoping for the slip up. City will try put 6 past them to pull in the goal difference here...

No sun here unfortunately.