Robbie Fowler believes Liverpool’s “strong” business model could lose them attacking duo Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
Salah and Mane are both out of contract in 2023 with fans anxiously waiting on the pair signing fresh deals.
Egypt international Salah’s situation has been grabbing the headlines, with the Merseyside club reportedly reluctant to meet the 29-year-old’s wage demands.
Give it Big Dunc ’til the end of the season, and other Mails…
He has scored 23 goals and provided nine assists in 26 matches this season and has often voiced his desire to remain at Anfield beyond 2023.
Despite his terrific performances and success with Liverpool since joining from Roma, Fowler believes the club’s owners will be unwilling to adjust their “business model” to meet the demands of Salah and Mane.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my career as a player and manager, it’s that there is no sentiment in football,” Fowler wrote on his Mirror column.
Mohamed Salah v Guinea-Bissau 21/22 (AFCON)
With a great performance by Mo, Egypt took control of their fate going into the final group game at AFCON pic.twitter.com/eGLoGBAy51
— Salah Central (@SalahCentral) January 16, 2022
“It’s a ruthless business… which is why there is no guarantee Mo Salah and Sadio Mane will get the money many people think they deserve to sign new Liverpool contracts.
“Liverpool have a business model, and they have been pretty strong over the years at sticking to it.
“So Emre Can left on a free, Gini Wijnaldum left on a free. And you can only assume it is because they were asking for things that didn’t fit into that business model.
“Can the owners afford to give two players – or even three, if you include Roberto Firmino – exactly what they want and still keep their wage structure? I’m not so sure.
“If they could it would surely have happened by now. I can understand the position of both players, I really can. I won’t compare my situation during my time at Liverpool to theirs.
“The pair have been right at the summit of the world game now for some years, and Salah has even taken his form to a different level this season.
“They will feel they deserve to be paid the same as other players at that level – and they’re right.
“In modern terms, the current board now have, in Salah and Mane, a Messi and Ronaldo on their hands. That’s barely an exaggeration. They are up there on that level.
“You could argue it is the coaching and management of Jurgen Klopp that turned them into world-class players, and I’d agree. I heard Jamie Carragher describe Salah as a club legend, and I’d agree with that too.”
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