Former England striker Alan Shearer believes Mohamed Salah's new contract will be huge for him and Liverpool ahead of the new season.
The Egyptian forward became the best-paid player in Liverpool history when he put pen to paper on a new deal. The contract is worth in excess of £350,000 per week, and will keep the former Roma star at Anfield until the summer of 2025.
Teammate Virgil van Dijk admitted earlier this year that Salah was affected by the contract saga, following suggestions the forward might leave this summer rather than let his deal run down. And, while Liverpool have lost another forward with Sadio Mane's move to Bayern Munich, Shearer thinks rivals should be worried by the Reds.
Liverpool finished a point adrift of Manchester City last season. Salah thought he had given his team the title when he put them ahead against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day, but City's comeback from 2-0 down against Aston Villa denied Jurgen Klopp's side.
The champions have strengthened as well, adding Erling Haaland among others. It's for this reason that Shearer is still backing Pep Guardiola's men, but he expects Liverpool's front-line to remain potent.
"A big reason for that is Mohamed Salah signing a new contract, which is absolutely huge for them and will be a big weight off his mind too," the former England international wrote for the BBC. "We might even see Salah playing better now, which is a frightening prospect for Premier League defences, but I still think City will have the edge come the end of the season."
Who are you backing for the title? Have your say in the comments section
Salah finished last season as the joint-highest scorer in the Premier League. His goal on the final day was his 23rd in the league - a total matched by Son Heung-min of Tottenham - and his 31st in all competitions.
The 30-year-old has scored 157 goals in 255 appearances for the Reds, with his best single-season return the 44 he netted in 2017-18. He is already off the mark for the current campaign, scoring in the 3-1 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield.
"I think we are in a good position to fight for everything," Salah said after signing his new deal. "We have new signings as well. We just need to keep working hard, have a good vision, be positive and go for everything again.”
While Mane has moved on, the Reds can call upon new signing Darwin Nunez in attack. Fabio Carvalho is also part of the squad, as is young defender Calvin Ramsay, while fans will hope January arrival Luis Diaz can kick on with a full pre-season behind him.
