Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admits Mohamed Salah’s stunning form could end up costing the club more money if they want to extend his contract.
The Egypt international turns 33 in June, just a couple of weeks before his current deal is due to expire, but he is posting numbers which, in some instances, are surpassing his first brilliant season at the club in 2017.
A man-of-the-match performance in the 2-0 win at Manchester City which extended the Premier League leaders’ advantage to 11 points saw him become the first player in Premier League history to score and assist in both games against the reigning champions in the same season.
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He took his tally to 30 for the campaign, 25 of which have been in the league, and became the first player in Premier League history to register 40-plus goal involvements in two different seasons and the first in Europe’s top five leagues to be directly involved in 50 goals across all competitions this season.
If the club, who under owners Fenway Sports Group have been reluctant to hand lucrative contracts to players over 30, had been finding negotiations difficult before his current run – scoring at least once in his last eight matches – this has ratcheted up the stakes.
“You can look at it in both ways. You can say the better he does the more expensive he might become and if he did really worse we would have second thoughts to extend his contract,” said Slot, ahead of the visit of Newcastle.
“For everyone it is the best that he brings in the performances he does now. Maybe only for the one who has to pay him it is not the best.
“For everyone else it is the best because if you want to play at this club you need to be at his level otherwise you are almost useless because we only need players that are at the top of their game.
“He needs to have these performances for him to play here and hopefully to extend here.”
After Sunday’s win Salah spoke about the “need” to win a second Premier League title – something which has driven him since the start of the season – but the form he is in would put in him in the running for the Ballon d’Or.
And he is starting to be mentioned in the same category as multiple winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Salah has both scored and assisted in 49 separate league matches in his career in Europe’s big-five leagues: since records began (in 2006) only Messi (102) and Ronaldo (65) have done so more.
“It is mostly about attackers, although the last winner was a midfielder (Rodri),” Slot added.
“It is a good thing Mo is in the discussion because it means he does well and we are doing well but for him to stay in the discussion he should bring in the same performances as he has done for seven or eight months.
“I think, in general, someone that wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something so it’s a great challenge that is in front of us but also in front of him.
“What I liked a lot is that he takes this challenge not only by scoring a big goal and a great assist against City, but he also wanting the team to win because his defensive work-rate especially in the second half was outstanding and that is what it takes for us to have a chance of winning something.
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“If we as a team can win something he will have a far better chance to win an individual prize like the Ballon d’Or.
“But in football it is always like this, you need the team to win an individual prize and that is what Mo understands really well.”
Slot revealed defender Conor Bradley is set to miss “a few weeks” with a hamstring injury.