If there’s anything that Premier League fans would remember Mo Salah for its from his disastrous spell at Chelsea. The winger was once dubbed as the ‘Egyptian Messi’ but his stint at Stamford Bridge tarnished his reputation for being that, or coming close to that. His recent exploits at Roma though, have proved that he’s still got it. Or maybe, he has realised his potential and he has now attracted strong interest from Liverpool

 

When Salah joined Chelsea in 2014 for an £11 million fee, Liverpool missed out on signing him from Basel. His performances against clubs like Spurs in the Europa League quarter-finals and against Chelsea themselves in the Champions League had done enough to grab the attention of the Blues, who witnessed the Egyptian become a scourge for them over a period of two seasons. There wasn't’t any shortage of interest from elsewhere either, as Spurs monitored his progress but Jose Mourinho reacted quickest to snap up the winger.

 

Lack of first-team opportunities cost Salah however, as he made just seven starts and four substitute appearances for the Blues, scoring only twice. He didn't’t turn out to be the hard-working winger who will drop deep and do the dirty work that Jose Mourinho likes in his teams and the Portuguese tactician made sure that he fell down in the pecking order of selection. 

 

A loan spell at Fiorentina followed. And Salah came close to proving that if handed enough time on the pitch to get accustomed to a side, he can change games at will. During his spell with La Viola, there were times when it seemed as if Vincenzo Montella had handed him the onus of influencing games, as Salah scored six and assisted three times in 16 Serie A outings. He wasn't subjected to the physical demands of the Premier League and flourished, but it still wasn't’t enough for him to break back into the Chelsea side.

 

Salah then headed out on another loan spell to Roma, a move that was later made permanent in 2016. In the 2015-16 campaign, Salah again proved that he has the capability to flourish when handed enough game time. He scored 14 times, assisting on six occasions and he impressed. Salah was handed the 2015-16 Player of the Season accolade at the but once again, his parent club ignored his development. 

 

The sale to Roma wasn't’t a big surprise and it yielded Chelsea a profit of €4 million. That was an example of how and why the Blues have the knack for selling players and earning a decent amount of profit, be it Patrick Bamford or Dominic Solanke. 

 

This season has again been an indication of the fact that Salah is a top player. Luciano Spalletti’s men finished second in the league, scoring 90 goals. The contributions of so-called Premier League flops such as Edin Dzeko, Federico Fazio and Salah himself have been vital, but the Egyptian’s showings made Dzeko score 29 times in the league. Salah himself scored 15 and has racked up a tally of 11 assists, which is good for any player.

 

Salah’s directness in front of goal has been a constant threat to the opposition and it’s his ability to drift inside with or without the ball has rattled opposition backlines all year. He likes to make runs in-behind the defenders and has increasingly become a danger whilst making those late runs into the box from wide areas. 

 

Pace has always been an important part of his repertoire. Salah attempted 1.2 dribbles per game in the 2016-17 campaign, which is a down-grade to the 2.4 of last season, but he has become a more complete player over the past 12 months. He has become a more direct outlet and hugs the touchline far less than he used to. Apart from being deployed on the right flank, he has also been utilised up front and as a number ten.

 

His mercurial abilities have attracted interest from Jurgen Klopp, who saw Liverpool’s first bid for the Egyptian get turned down. Sky Sports reported that the offere was £28 million, but reports in Italy suggest that Roma want £34 million for the winger, who is likely to earn £90,000 per week as per Dominic King. 

 

The Reds finished fourth behind Manchester City, but their problems against the smaller clubs saw them struggle to breakdown packed defences and their inability to press well enough when the opposition had enough numbers around the ball. Salah brings a lot of energy to the table and could be just the kind of fleet-footed player that Klopp likes to have in his team.

 

What Liverpool have lacked though, is width when the opposition defend with two blocs of four. They do have very good players, but the injury sustained by Sadio Mane meant that they didn't’t have a single player who could stay wide and act as an outlet from there. Be it Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino or Divock Origi, they won’t stay wide. 

 

Salah is another one of those direct wingers who likes to cut in and rattle the opposition, but brings more width than anyone of the aforementioned trio. 



Kaustubh Pandey