Steven Gerrard wishes Mohamed Salah will resist the lure of the Saudi Pro League and remain with Liverpool beyond next year.
Salah’s current deal is set to expire at the season’s end, and there’s been no word on whether he’ll extend his tenure on Merseyside. The wealthy Saudi clubs have been persistently courting him as their next potential star acquisition.
Despite it being his 33rd birthday next June, Salah continues to defy age with no dip in performance. His tally stands at 14 goal involvements in just 12 appearances this season ahead of today’s Premier League showdown against Arsenal.
Every Liverpool supporter, including ex-skipper Gerrard, despite being boss of Al-Ettifaq in the Pro League, is eager to avoid seeing Salah depart on a free transfer when the summer window opens.
Speaking on The Redmen TV podcast, Gerrard said: “I hope we still get another couple of years out of Mo Salah. I think he can deliver for many more years because of his shape, his professionalism.
“So I hope he stays. I hope we get more out of him, but I’m not surprised because the ones that are obsessed of the profession and they’ve got that level of talent, it’s no surprise that the consistent levels are there all the time.”
Gerrard also hinted at a possible extension for Salah due to a conversation he had with John Achterberg, the goalkeeping coach who joined him in the Middle East after leaving Liverpool in the summer following 15 years of service.
The former Rangers manager added: “I always pick John’s brain and what would he like on a database. John says he’s really obsessed to be the best, and he wants to break records. He wants to be remembered as the best.
“So I’m not surprised in terms of how he approaches his profession. And I think he’s going to be one of these players that we’ll all appreciate even more when the day eventually comes when he moves on.”
Salah currently ranks fifth in Liverpool’s all-time leading scorers with 218 goals, behind Billy Liddell (228), Gordon Hodgson (241), Roger Hunt (285), and Ian Rush (346). He is also ninth in Premier League history, only 25 goals behind Andy Cole in fourth place.