If Liverpool are serious about being title contenders, than the last few matches have proven they’re going to need more of pretty much everything in order to compete with richer and deeper clubs. On the first order of business seems to be adding some attacking flair, aiming their sights at Mohamed Salah of FC Basel.
The Egyptian star has made quite a name for himself over the last two seasons, especially among Premier League followers, scoring three goals in four matches against Chelsea, including twice this season as Basel beat the Europa League champions twice in the group stage of the Champions League.
Salah, a right winger who has a lot of freedom, is 21, and has been playing for Basel since 2012, joining them from El-Mokawloon in the Egyptian Premier League, leaving the club after the league was suspended due to the Port Said riots.
Salah has done very well in Switzerland, winning the league in 2013, scoring 10 goals in all competitions and winning the Swiss Super League Golden player award, something there’s a very good chance he might end up winning this season if no one snatches him up in the January transfer window. He has already scored 10 goals, adding 6 assists, in all competitions for Basel. His contract runs out in 2016, so there’s no real rush to sell him, but Basel know that keeping him from advancing with so much money on the table for them is difficult.
Liverpool use Raheem Sterling as their right winger, at least while Daniel Sturridge is out and Liverpool are playing with one striker. However, Brendan Rodgers being unable to make substitutions that are meaningful or even do some sort of rotating in the lineup during the hectic Christmas period means that some additions have to be made. Salah is capable of playing in more than one position, and if his price is going to be around the £8-10 million area, he’s worth being added.
One problem with Salah are some of his political opinions, which might be extra sensitive with the Nicolas Anelka thing currently in the headlines. Salah did play with Basel in Israel against Maccabi Tel-Aviv, but behind the scenes the rumors suggest he was under a lot of pressure from Arab fans and people from Egypt to boycott the match, and has allegedly made some remarks on the subject until the club forced him to play.