Where does Salah rank among the Premier League greats?
Mohamed Salah will be Man City’s most feared opponent when they step out at Anfield on Sunday in the huge, title-race battle with Premier League leaders Liverpool, live on Sky Sports.
The Kop’s Egyptian King usually reigns in this fixture, with 11 goals and six assists in 21 appearances against City.
His mesmerising solo goal against Pep Guardiola’s side in the brilliant 2-2 draw in October 2021 is perhaps his finest in a red shirt.
Impressively, three years on, at the age of 32, and despite uncertainty about his future, Salah remains the big threat.
His match-winning double at Southampton last weekend means he has 10 goals and six assists in just 12 Premier League appearances this season.
He's on the brink of becoming the first player to achieve double figures in both metrics in six separate seasons.
“For us, it’s clear. He is an all-time great,” said former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in 2023.
But where does Salah rank among the Premier League’s greatest?
"I’ve always said Thierry Henry is the greatest player to play in the Premier League…
I think Mo Salah is right on his shoulder."
- Jamie Carragher
The keys to Salah’s success
There are wonderful technical skills to admire about Salah. Clever tactical approaches which have repeatedly put him in dangerous positions, too. Just look at this chart showing how he is consistently top in the Premier League for touches in the opposition box.
But perhaps the most important factor in his success has been his consistency and fitness levels which have allowed him to deliver year after year for Liverpool. And it’s all added up to an incredible career.
When Salah pulled off his shirt after scoring at Southampton, his physique was a reminder of the commitment and attention to detail he has brought to all aspects of his game to ensure he stays at the top.
“What has impressed me most about Salah this season? The fact he looks like the original Mo Salah, when he first came to Liverpool,” Carragher told Sky Sports ahead of that win on the south coast.
“Towards the back end of last season, he’d been involved in AFCON and come back injured and it wasn’t the same Mo Salah. That probably hurt Liverpool in terms of going a bit further in the title race. But when he is sharp and firing he is as good as anybody in the Premier League and he has shown that over the last six or seven years for Liverpool.”
Salah has scored over 18 league goals in each of his seven seasons at Liverpool. With 10 already this term, he’s well on the way to making that eight in a row.
Could he pip the phenomenon Erling Haaland and snatch his fourth golden boot to go level with record-holder Thierry Henry? A further 10 goals in the remaining 26 matches would see him match the Frenchman on five 20-goal Premier League seasons.
For all his adoration on Merseyside, when you look at those numbers, has Salah’s return been under-appreciated away from Anfield?
“I think it is under-appreciated,” said Carragher. “That question goes to the Ballon d’Or. He very rarely seems to be in the running for that and when you look at his seasons, his consistency is off the scale.
“Sometimes with trophies like that there’s always one player who has had an unbelievable season and it has to go to them. But Mo is just there, season after season.
“It reminds me a little bit of Raul at Real Madrid. He never won the Ballon d’Or but for a five or six year period he was outstanding - but maybe in each individual season there was someone else who scored a few more goals. Maybe that’s the problem Mo has had.
“He had that one unbelievable season when he first came [when he scored 32 in 36 Premier League games] and maybe that should have been the season he got it. But that was the Messi-Ronaldo era.”
How would a second Premier League title change his standing?
Incredibly and unexpectedly Liverpool could go 11 points clear of Man City if they beat them on Sunday.
That would give them a fantastic opportunity to win a second Premier League title, which would further enhance Salah’s CV and case for being considered an all-time great.
The game of counting up medals doesn’t always reflect individual brilliance, of course. But how would a second title – to go with the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup wins he has had at Liverpool – change Salah’s status?
“That would elevate him – probably more so within the standing of Liverpool supporters,” said Carragher.
“When you play for Liverpool, there has been so much history and success in the past and people have won five or six league titles. People like Mo, and Virgil van Dijk as well, they are two legends of the club, two of the greatest players the club have ever had. But to cement that you want some of the trophies that can go up against some of the greats of the past.
“Winning one league title isn’t enough for them, in some ways. Their talent deserves more than that. It’s probably only right that this season Liverpool can hopefully give those two another title!”
How much more is there to come?
The topic of Salah’s Liverpool legacy leads to the question of how much more there is to come.
Salah’s contract situation is a major talking point, with the winger saying on Sunday how he has been “disappointed” a new offer still hasn’t been made by the club. It is understood negotiations are still ongoing.
But at the age of 32, how much longer can Salah keep going at the remarkable rate he has managed for most of his time at Liverpool?
Carragher is convinced Salah could still be delivering in 2027. He backs the Liverpool supporter maxim: Now give Mo his dough.
“There’s obviously a situation, whether it’s money or length of contract... I would suspect it’s more length of contract with Mo Salah. We have all been there as players as you get on, you think you should get longer and the club don’t see that.
“When you get over 30, you don’t know when that tap is going to be turned off. It can happen very quickly.
“The way Salah is playing, I believe he can continue going the way he’s going right now for probably another two seasons – this season and another two.
“I do think he’ll be here next season. I think there will be a compromise one way or the other, whether that’s the club or the player. I also think – and this is not being disrespectful to Salah or Van Dijk – but when you get to that age, even though you’re on a free transfer, where else can you go that gives you a realistic chance of winning a domestic title but really the Champions League?
"There’s probably only another four or five teams in Europe. Barcelona have financial problems. Real Madrid have enough attacking players. Will he go to PSG? Will he go to another English club? No. Does Salah really want to go to Saudi at this stage of his career when there’s still so much up for grabs in terms of titles for himself and records?
“I don’t think there are too many places for him to go. This is the best place for him. He’s been around Europe before and this is where he has played his best football. I think Liverpool is the best club for Mo Salah.”
The contenders for Premier League’s best…
Salah’s Liverpool and Premier League legacy, then, could still be enriched even further. But right now, where does he stand?
“I’ve always said Thierry Henry is the greatest player to play in the Premier League… I think Mo Salah is right on his shoulder,” said Carragher.
“Of the players I class just behind Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of them. I think Salah might be the other one.
“Will he eclipse Henry? I’m not sure. It would take a lot to go past Henry. But if I was picking a front three in a Premier League all-time XI I would have Henry through the middle, Ronaldo on the left and Salah on the right.”
Do you agree? Where does Salah rank for you?
To try to simplify the complex question of who is the Premier League’s greatest player, we have listed some of the league’s most outstanding forwards.
Vote for the one you believe is the greatest Premier League player…
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