Mo Salah drops Liverpool hint as Reds legend wades in on contract saga

Mohamed Salah’s scintillating displays for Liverpool tell former Reds goalkeeper David James he wants to stay at Anfield.

Salah’s Liverpool deal is due to expire next summer - along with those of captain Virgil van Dijk and his No 2 Trent Alexander-Arnold - and fans are anxious they agree new terms. Salah claimed after Liverpool’s win over Manchester United at the start of the month that the club have yet to offer him a new agreement.

James believes the Egypt star wants to stay, judging by his body language so far this season and he has three goals and three assists already. “I think if Mo Salah wanted out of Liverpool, or he had his head turned by the other opportunities available to him, then I don’t think you’d see the version of Mo Salah we’ve seen so far,” he said.

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“We know he can earn huge sums of money by moving elsewhere and he could take a move to one of those places and not have to produce the standard of performance he does for Liverpool. For me, I look at what Salah is producing in the shirt as a barometer to his desire and likelihood of signing a new contract.

“His first three performances were sensational. He’s back and looked better than we’ve seen him, and when you’re Mo Salah and you have his body of work, that’s really saying something. What Mo’s doing, it looks like he could produce a season that could be his best at Liverpool. That’s why I think he’ll stay. He’s not slowing down, he’s going up through the gears.”

James claims Liverpool have been right to wait before opening contract talks and says the Reds can improve their chances of holding onto all three by being successful. “It would have been easy for Arne Slot to go in and offer these guys new deals right away, but he’s waited, which I think is the right thing to do for a new manager,” he said.

“For the players, they’ve seen what Slot is bringing on the pitch and off it, and they’ll be thinking they want to be part of it. From a Liverpool point-of-view, the more successful they are on the pitch, the easier it’ll be to retain these players and ask them to commit for a couple more years.”

James described Liverpool’s shock home loss to Nottingham Forest as “a blip” and says they can be title challengers under Slot. “The first minimum objective is Champions League qualification,” he said. “That’s a must for Liverpool Football Club.

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“When it comes to winning the Premier League, there are a lot of factors to consider and there are some unknowns as well like potential points deductions etc. The performances in the first three games have told me that Liverpool can compete for the title. They are playing exciting, controlling football.

“Ultimately, there need to be trophies, but I don’t think the season would be regarded as a failure if Slot didn’t deliver one in his first year.”

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