Why Liverpool can't afford to let Salah go

Despite all his heroics at Anfield, the fact that Mohamed Salah is yet to sign a contract beyond 2023 is becoming unfathomable as the days progress.

Usually, the performance of an average player in Europe's top five leagues starts to decline after they turn 30 years. More so for the wingers because they are expected to be effective on the game's defensive and offensive aspects.

You can see defenders and goalkeepers playing well into their thirties for any top European club. Since almost all the top sides are possession heavy, defenders and goalkeepers are not required to chase the ball and press relentlessly.

However, as these sides get more of the ball, the attackers' job is getting trickier by the day. Wingers, especially, are expected to stretch the play, dribble, create chances, and score. The fact that the Egyptian is doing all these things consistently despite approaching 30 is highly commendable.

Why Salah is indispensable for Liverpool?

Understandably, any club in place of Liverpool would be skeptical of giving players a huge paycheck and a long-term contract after they turn 30 years. Just ask Real Madrid and Arsenal, who have had their fair share of dealings with underperforming attackers aged beyond 30. (Gareth Bale, Aubayameng, Willian, to name a few)

However, Liverpool should realize Salah is no ordinary player. Since joining Liverpool in 2017, he's played close to 14,000 minutes in the Premier League alone! These numbers are only dwarfed by three other players in Europe's top five leagues- Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Lewis Dunk (Brighton) and James Tarkowski (Burnley).

However, there is one key difference: he remains the only attacker in the bunch! Also, the top 10 minute getters across that stretch consist of only one attacker -- Mohamed Salah!

In Salah, Liverpool has a highly efficient player in goal-scoring, chance creation, progressive passing and a host of other key aspects of playmaking. He is also a monster off the ball, an expert in counter-pressing and winning the ball back in the final third.

At the moment, the Egyptian is pretty much the perfect modern-day soccer player. His ability to remain fit is perhaps his greatest asset and probably the best argument his agent should be making while presenting their case.

One might argue that no one can predict injuries in the future and that Salah's durability might wane as he approaches the twilight of his career. However, this can be always countered by looking at his past injury record.

Previously injured players are more likely to remain injury-prone than the healthy ones (Eden Hazard and Ousmane Dembele are a case in point). Since injuries degrade athleticism, Salah's near-perfect track record will quickly help him bounce back from injuries.

In addition, advancements in diet regimes, training and recovery have seen players across all sports performing well beyond 30. Ronaldo and Messi in football, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in tennis and Lebron James in basketball are some of the most prominent examples of the same.

More importantly, Liverpool can only afford to lose Salah if they have a readymade replacement for him. Right now, no one in their squad is good enough to perform as a right winger. Heck, no one in the whole world is a better right winger than him at the moment!

Liverpool can't rely on the transfer market to replace him either. While they would be flush with cash with his sale, replacing a player of his stature would require breaking the bank, something they have hardly done so. Big-money signings have also had a history of failing spectacularly. (Ask Barcelona)

Besides, you can't just replace a player like Salah and expect the system to work just as efficiently. Right now, Liverpool needs him more than he needs Liverpool. The Reds should sort out this contractual mess as soon as possible so that we get to see the Egyptian weaving his magic on Merseyside for years to come.