Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may have offered Liverpool some words of wisdom on why they shouldn’t be reluctant to extend Mohamed Salah’s contract.
The Egyptian winger’s current deal expires in 2023 and there is a degree of uncertainty around Anfield as to whether the former Chelsea forward will remain at the club beyond his current deal.
Salah has scored 152 career goals for Liverpool since returning to the Premier League in 2017 and quickly become a club legend at Merseyside.
However, his time at the club would end on a sour note if he were to leave on a free transfer having publicly stated his desire to remain a Reds player.
Reports have circulated that the 29-year-old is asking for an improved contract in excess of £300,000-a-week, but Liverpool’s owners are reluctant to put that offer on the table for a player who is set to turn 30 in the summer.
But Wenger has spoken on Tuesday night about how the very best players are reaching their prime towards the end of the career, which could persuade Liverpool to break their previous trend.
Speaking about the Inter Milan line-up on beIN Sport, Wenger said: “What is interesting is that today we are here saying ‘what does a guy like (Edin) Dzeko, who is 36 years old, need to do to play in the Champions League?’
“A few years ago we would have said ‘what’s a guy of 36 years old doing on the football pitch in the Champions League?’
“That tells us something that has changed in the modern game – the experienced players, especially the strikers, last longer and the dominant players in Europe are all born in (19)87, 86 and they are 35, 36 years old.
“It’s a new phenomenon.”
Wenger’s comments could prompt Liverpool’s owners into reconsidering how they will continue with their negotiations if there is a new dawn of top players remaining at their best until they retire.
The remarks of Jurgen Klopp could be food for thought for Fenway Sports Group too.
Last month the former Borussia Dortmund boss was asked about whether he believes players are reaching the peak of their careers later nowadays, to which he replied: “One or two years ago the first three players of the Ballon d’Or, apart from Salah who is slightly younger, were all 34 or older.
“Lewandowski is 33, then Messi and Ronaldo (are) 34 and 37 and if you are lucky enough to get through a career without major injuries you can play long.
“There is no peak mid-20s. The massive advantage of early 30s, mid-30s is the player can see things in the right way having learned in his career. He can use that and he can be an even better player than he was a few years before and that is the plan with all of them. There is no age roof.
“For clubs it is different, they think ‘we won’t sign a 33-year-old because we cannot sell him anymore’ but if the player is already in then it is outstanding to have him around because they have experience, desire and quality.”
