He claims we came in late for him last summer and he spoke to Klopp but he'd already committed to Dortmund. Not heard anything concrete on that here like. Heck of an exciting boy regardless.
As Salah is all but done and announced, gotta' say I'm super excited about this one the more I think on it. His stats are crazy mad enough. I mean if he just replicated what he did last year in being involved in a third of Roma's record goals tally in Serie A (15 goals/ 13 assists from 31 games) by scoring 1 in 2 from out wide that would be awesome enough to go alongside Sadio's output. But Sadio has taken his game on another level at ours and if Salah keeps on improving further .....
But the real thing exciting me is the pace. He's RAPID. Again, to go along with Sadio, who's RAPID. And rapid pace KILLS. The prospect of Phil picking his poison from deep with those two wide, Firmino moving all over in between, and Lallana being another stellar option to hit leaves you drooling. You don't need a 20 plus goal a season striker when you're getting that output from 3 or 4 players. And one would think he has a point to prove after his last experience in England being the only real down season in a career that's consistently double-figure goals from the wing.
And then you throw in what previous managers have had to say about him:
Jose Mourinho : “We had to go for a young player, for a left-footed player and for a fast player – especially who is fast in the space because most of my attacking players are fast and fast with the ball.
“I like the fact that he can play the same way as our attacking players do, which is players with adaptability to play right, left or behind the striker in the model we have with normally — one striker and three behind the striker.
“He’s young like our players in that area. He’s fast, creative, enthusiastic. When we analyse him he looks the kind of humble personality on the pitch, ready to work for the team and adapt to a new life.
“Salah is a kind of player that looksfor the space and tries to get behind people so we think he was a good choice.”
Hector Cuper: (The Egyptian manager): “I like players who are similar to Salah, the type of players who always puts the team first. I can’t ask him for more than what he is already providing for the team. He is a talented, modest and responsible player.”
Luciano Spalletti (His manager at Roma): “Salah is an exceptional player. He is the best player I’ve coached in my career.”
Vincenzo Montella (His manager at Fiorentina): “Who did better out of the Cuadrado exchange? Fiorentina earned a lot of money and, on the pitch, they are similar players. Salah is a player that, even if he takes some breaks, is devastating over 40 or 50 yards.
“I think he can play any position in attack. He attacks the space well and is very good at getting straight into the groove of a game when coming off the bench.”
Yeah, what Klopp could do with someone like that again after Sadio .....
We made, Kante at Chelsea aside, arguably the best signing of last summer in Mané. Who has well outplayed his £30 million fee. His importance to his team is immeasurabal as was shown when he was missing through the AFCON and then the last 12 games the year injured. We've nobody else like him. But Salah gives you a replica. And £35 million, for someone who is as rapid as Mané, if not faster; who backs it up with goals and assists aplenty, we may just be on the verge of bagging the steal of the summer again in today's absolutely crazy mad market.
If we fill arguably our two biggest areas of need with Salah and van Dijk ......
