Liverpool's best ever forward line?
A tough one, but Rush and Dalglish as a duo is clearly up there, Keegan and Toshack, Hunt and St John too.
In more recent times, there is Suarez and Sturridge (with either Coutinho or Sterling), and before that, the brief but perfect partnership of Torres and Gerrard.
Then there is Salah-Mane-Firmino: perhaps the best front three Liverpool have ever seen, even if Beardsley, Rush and Barnes would give them a fierce argument.
Given their achievements and the records they have consistently broken for almost five years now, it is certainly not an embarrassment to put Jurgen Klopp’s forward line in the argument as the best ever in Anfield history.
Which makes the next sentence even more interesting… and perhaps baffling.
All three of them are out of contract next summer, and can agree moves to other clubs on January 1, 2023. That is 10 months away… or precisely 314 days.
It’s true that Liverpool do their business quietly, but still, this is taking calm to the next level.
Perhaps the greatest front three in the history of one of the biggest clubs football has ever known, and all three have to wait just 300 or so more days to sign lucrative contracts with other clubs.
Many have interpreted the signing of Luis Diaz - and before that Diogo Jota - as a sign that not all three will be given new contracts.
Some have even suggested that in the case of Firmino and Mane at least, their best days are behind them, and Liverpool know that, which is why they have begun ‘succession planning’.
Listen to the words of Jurgen Klopp after the latest victory over Norwich, where Salah was unplayable, and Mane so versatile that he played three different positions and excelled in all of them.
Have Your Say! Should Liverpool break the bank to keep Salah, Mane and Firmino? Join the debate here.
Speaking about Mane equalling the goals total of the legendary John Barnes for Liverpool - taking 159 games less to get to 108 - Klopp suggested he deserves to be regarded as one of the greats like Barnes, and Salah too.
“Oh definitely Sadio deserves to be in that company, that’s not even an argument. And the situation is we speak about one, we have to speak about the other one.
“That is 100 per cent true because they (achieve things together). Nobody would expect that Mo could score 150 goals in such a short space of time. Sadio’s goal record is absolutely insane as well.
“He is a world class-striker as well, whether he will play left wing, right wing, centre - wherever he plays he is a world-class striker and yes, it is really helpful to have him here.”
That is an understatement of course; Klopp has often suggested he is blessed to have all three of his forwards, with Firmino given equal billing in his mind.
Both Salah and Mane are 29 years old, and at the peak of their powers; Firmino is 30. Mane with Senegal has just won the Africa Cup of Nations, beating Salah’s Egypt in the final. Neither succumb easily to injury.
Neither of them drink, and just like Firmino, they are dedicated professionals who maintain their fitness. Klopp has been on the record as suggesting all three could play at the top level until their mid-thirties and beyond.
Yet still for many Liverpool fans, Diaz represents the future. Some have questioned Mane this season, even though his energy and numbers are as consistent as ever. Firmino has been questioned for two seasons now.
Salah’s contract remains the obsession, and rightly so, because the stats are clear. With a new five-year deal there is every chance he could reach the heights set by Rush and Hunt over their long Anfield careers.
Yet Mane has already staked a claim to being the best left-winger Liverpool has ever seen, and is certainly in the argument alongside Barnes and Billy Liddell. Again, a new contract would allow him to prove it beyond doubt.
Firmino is a different animal to most centre-forwards in Liverpool history. He should be regarded more as a Beardsley than a Fowler, and his importance to Klopp’s side and their way of playing should not be underestimated.
Indeed there are seasoned observers who suggest he is the manager’s favourite player, and there is no doubt Klopp wants him to have a new deal, just as he does Mane and Salah.
It makes sense to have a seasoned professional around the place, as James Milner proves. And there is another pertinent point.
Should all three go into the final year of their contracts next August, what impact would that have on Klopp’s team and their morale?
Even if they don’t win the title this season, it will be an incredible campaign, that much is clear, given they are still involved in four competitions at the end of February - the first time that has ever happened under the German coach.
If they don’t stop Man City this season, then there is an argument that with the arrival of Diaz, and the chance to gain Premier League experience until May, Liverpool will be stronger next time around.
Divock Origi looks likely to leave, perhaps Takumi Minamino too, along with Nat Phillips and Neco Williams, which would free up funds for another serious signing in the summer.
But they would not challenge City with their current front three. No chance. That plain fact makes these contract talks vital to the immediate future of the club.
Should they be given them? Yes. Does it make economic sense even as they will all be 30 years old in June? Yes.
Will they? That is the 64,000 dollar question (a phrase the current owners should understand). But the smart money is also on yes, because there is no bright future in the modern world of football, unless there is success in the here and now.
