Of course it is fantastic news for Liverpool supporters that Mohamed Salah appears to have committed his next three years to the club.
The reality is that his new contract only means Liverpool will get a few quid if he decides to leave next summer but it is a positive for the club all the same. He might not have been at his finest for some of the later stages of the season but Salah is a game-winner.
That is why he was the Players’ Player of the Year and the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year. Never injured, always scoring and assisting, he is a phenomenal talent.
But the social media announcement? The video of Salah at some luxury hideaway?
And what about the words from Jurgen Klopp? “This is a special treat for our supporters to enjoy their weekend even more. I’m sure there will be some celebrations tonight.”
I’m sure there were. Here’s a toast to an extremely rich man getting extremely richer.
Enjoy their weekend even more? Like they were always going to enjoy their weekend even though it is pretty darn tough to put food on the table right now. Never mind, Mo has got a new £350,000 a week deal.
A special treat? Yay! When you get back from the food banks, make sure you have a little party in honour of Salah’s £18million-a-year deal.
I’m sure there will be some celebrations tonight? Perhaps there were. Or perhaps supporters were, indeed, delighted that Salah seems to have committed another three years to their beloved club but feel a little bit reluctant to party for a multi-millionaire getting more millions.
Let’s cut to the chase, for all the trumpeting from the club, Salah signing a new contract is a simple story: Man gets a massive pay rise.
Fittingly, he confirmed said pay rise at some luxury overseas resort. I’m sure the good people of Liverpool were pleased about that. Working class people feel compelled to go on strike because their pay is lagging so far behind the harrowingly steep increases in the cost of living but they should get out the bunting and have a party for Mo’s new £1.5million a month contract?
Yes, that’s the game, that’s standard for elite professional football. Salah’s deal reflects his status, he gives joy to so many people, and his pay probably comes up short of other top salaries.
It was a no-brainer for Liverpool to pull out all the stops to get him to sign an extended contract. And players signing new deals with clubs has long been a thing fans are supposed to rejoice in. Think Kevin de Bruyne at Manchester City.
But the bottom line is that if Salah wants to leave Anfield next summer, he will still leave Anfield next summer.
So, the only real reason Liverpool fans will be enjoying their weekend even more is that Salah got a whopping, whopping pay hike. If they could afford a pint, I’m sure they would raise a glass.
