More persuasive evidence has come to light today supporting the widely-reported claim that Liverpool are on the verge of signing FC Basel star Mohamed Salah.
Earlier this week, one of the UK's biggest betting companies, Skybet, suspended betting on the possibility of Salah signing for the Reds before February 1st 2014.
Now, Egyptian star Mido claims that the deal is done.
Earlier today, Mido - formerly of Roma, Marseille and Spurs - posted the following on his twitter feed:
The Salah story so far:
* Oct 28: The Daily Mail claims: "Liverpool are rivalling Tottenham for FC Basel winger Mohamed Salah".
* Nov 29: Salah indirectly dismissed the possibility of a move to Anfield. When asked about his future, he told Sky Sports: "I want to play for one of the best teams in the world. My favourites are Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea."
* Dec 7: Salah's agent spotted for the West Ham home game.
* Dec 13: The Daily Mail reports: "Liverpool are poised to make a £12million [€14m] bid for Mohamed Salah. [The Reds] have been trailing the Egyptian for over six months. If Rodgers gives the go-ahead for an official bid, they are likely to get their man"
* Dec 25: The Mirror reports: "Liverpool are close to agreeing a [deal] for Mohamed Salah, who has indicated he wants a move to Anfield. Brendan Rodgers is keen to land the striker who can play in any one of the front three roles in his system, or play behind a centre forward"
In early December, the Swiss football federation named Salah as the 'best player in the league' for 2013. During the ceremony, the official presenting the award called Salah a 'superhero' for Basel’s supporters.
Salah looks like a good player, but does he have the physical strength to make an impact in England? Coutinho - a similar player to the Egyptian in terms of stature and style - started off well for Liverpool, but he is increasingly being outmuscled and outfought in the Premier League, and his specific, measurable impact on games is tailing off as a result.
As for Sterling going out on loan - that makes zero sense to me. Rodgers is constantly complaining about the depth of his squad, so why send one of the club's (current) star performers away? Salah may come in, but LFC will be in exactly the same position (squad wise) if Sterling departs.
LFC should keep Sterling as another option; on current form, he deserves to stay, and sending him on loan would (IMO) be as big a mistake as sending Suso away during the summer.
NOTE: Thanks to Tony G for the heads-up :-)
Author: Jaimie K
Earlier this week, one of the UK's biggest betting companies, Skybet, suspended betting on the possibility of Salah signing for the Reds before February 1st 2014.
Now, Egyptian star Mido claims that the deal is done.
Earlier today, Mido - formerly of Roma, Marseille and Spurs - posted the following on his twitter feed:
The Salah story so far:
* Oct 28: The Daily Mail claims: "Liverpool are rivalling Tottenham for FC Basel winger Mohamed Salah".
* Nov 29: Salah indirectly dismissed the possibility of a move to Anfield. When asked about his future, he told Sky Sports: "I want to play for one of the best teams in the world. My favourites are Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea."
* Dec 7: Salah's agent spotted for the West Ham home game.
* Dec 13: The Daily Mail reports: "Liverpool are poised to make a £12million [€14m] bid for Mohamed Salah. [The Reds] have been trailing the Egyptian for over six months. If Rodgers gives the go-ahead for an official bid, they are likely to get their man"
* Dec 25: The Mirror reports: "Liverpool are close to agreeing a [deal] for Mohamed Salah, who has indicated he wants a move to Anfield. Brendan Rodgers is keen to land the striker who can play in any one of the front three roles in his system, or play behind a centre forward"
In early December, the Swiss football federation named Salah as the 'best player in the league' for 2013. During the ceremony, the official presenting the award called Salah a 'superhero' for Basel’s supporters.
Salah looks like a good player, but does he have the physical strength to make an impact in England? Coutinho - a similar player to the Egyptian in terms of stature and style - started off well for Liverpool, but he is increasingly being outmuscled and outfought in the Premier League, and his specific, measurable impact on games is tailing off as a result.
As for Sterling going out on loan - that makes zero sense to me. Rodgers is constantly complaining about the depth of his squad, so why send one of the club's (current) star performers away? Salah may come in, but LFC will be in exactly the same position (squad wise) if Sterling departs.
LFC should keep Sterling as another option; on current form, he deserves to stay, and sending him on loan would (IMO) be as big a mistake as sending Suso away during the summer.
NOTE: Thanks to Tony G for the heads-up :-)
Author: Jaimie K
Hope MS is good for LFC, but the main story here is Sterling on loan, just when the kid improves leaps and bounds finally (yes, his finishing needs work)he is going to be sent out (hope not) I would prefer to send out on loan Aspas and get some match fitness and play.I really wonder who makes these decisions as BR seems like Jamie always mentions has some man-management issues.
ReplyDeleteCoutinho is generally not being outmuscled, if you watch every game you with see that he is averaging 4 shots per game.
ReplyDeleteHe is simply lacking confidence in front of goal as he is dragging most of the shots wide left which suggests he is snatching at them which is down to confidence (lack of).
If he gets composed in front of goal he will be in the top 5 attacking midfield players in the league.
agree. buy a winger and send out another on loan will never solve depth lacking ...
ReplyDeleteAgree with u.He is more aggressive this season, but just like sterling the final finish needs polishing. How Suarez was in the beginning missing many shots but became now a firepower.
ReplyDeleteSimple really, Salah will start straight away. Sterling still has lots to learn i.e finishing and his final ball, so he will get the playing time at Swansea to do so. As for not being strong enough, Sterling is slight but manages well, as does Mata, Modric etc etc. I think this guy could be a perfect fit. Him and the SAS together with a choice of SG, Coutinho, Hendo and Lucas. Add to this a DM and maybe Bertrand and Montoya and that's a tasty first team well capable of challenging.
ReplyDeleteAll good points, but how does sending Sterling on loan improve the club's squad depth situation?
ReplyDeleteaye sure mido is such a reliable source,
ReplyDeleteWow....I bet BR is very impressed with Mido sharing this with the world...
ReplyDeleteWell it doesn't really and I can see your logic, maybe Tello is the other one coming in or maybe he believes in Moses (who has been awful )and wants to keep him until the summer. I like Rogers very much, I think he has done a remarkable job, but he definitely has a lot to learn in the transfer market. I think with Salah joining and hopefully no more injuries to DS we should make 3rd or 4th place
ReplyDeleteThere are too many leaks coming from Egypt for this not to be true, first his ex-teammate and friend told Egyptian TV live that he was joining Liverpool 2 weeks ago, now Mido who works for Al Jazeera as a pundit is saying the same..................It's done for me!!!
ReplyDeleteEveryone in Egypt knows!!!
ReplyDeleteIt does appear he goes right into the team now!!!!
ReplyDeleteHe knows more than you do.........he is a football pundit on Al Jazeera and ex-Egypt captain.
ReplyDeleteGot to agree with you. Sending Sterling out on loan make no sense to me neither.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Coutinho is quickly becoming the armchair pundit's latest favourite target
ReplyDeleteThe time that "the world" consisted largely of the Egyptian empire is long gone though my friend..
ReplyDeleteI don't see how sending Suso out on loan is was a mistake! I couldn't imagine him getting a look in had he stayed and now he's getting the experience of playing week in week out. Even if he's not good enough to play for us he has still increased his value quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Coutinho comments, I think some of the reason his form has dropped off has been the lack of Sturridge playing because the two seem to have a good understanding and I think in his absence Coutinho has been asked to shoot more which doesn't really suit him. Also I think the weather probably ain't helping him, put him on a dry pitch it would suit his game a lot more.
Exactly
ReplyDeleteConsidering the difference in cost of Moses and Sterling and the fact that the latter actually gets in the team before the former, you'd expect BR to be sending Moses back to Chelski no?
ReplyDeleteBR is just about to give his press conference, be interesting to see if he says anything now!!!!
ReplyDeleteIs Coutinho's effectiveness suffering from physicality? I'm not totally sure about that and would want to see a more conclusive analysis.
ReplyDeleteI have a good deal of trust in our scouting network and if the club is willing to splash more than 10 million on a player then I think he'll be good. There is clearly no point bringing in another squad player at this point, we need top drawer quality. He's been identified early and we're clearly looking to wrap up this deal ASAP so I guess this is the quality wide player we've been needing. If we spend decent money on him and he's not able to have an impact in the second half of the season then it's a big black mark on our transfer record.
No way will Sterling go on loan, that's total speculation. He's been playing really well and we want that kind of energy around the club to press for a starting spot. Any new players will have to prove themselves clearly better players than Sterling to get a chance and we've got injury worries right now. It just wouldn't make any sense.
Sterling needs to stay! we need strength in depth to last the season. If Salah comes it's unlikely he'll play every game, neither will sterling. Having them both will keep the team fresh and hungry.
ReplyDeleteI hope he will be at least telling us that Suarez will be rested.
ReplyDeleteHuw Jenkins, the Swansea chairman has responded to reports about Sterling saying "It's not correct that we are trying to sign Raheem Sterling" - From the Daily Mail, which is admittedly not the best source but the fact they have quoted leads me to to believe that it is true. Also, given the fact that he has been one of our better players this past couple of months it would be ridiculous to send him out on loan
ReplyDeleteWhy should send Sterling out on loan? We still have the FA cup this season and need players for that. It'd be great if we could win it. I thought Salah was a striker but if he is a winger, that would be great. Need a replacement for Moses.
ReplyDelete"Coutinho started off well for Liverpool... but he is increasingly getting out-muscled." Do you ever watch the game?
ReplyDeleteCoutinho is composed on the ball and rarely gets out-muscled. You make it sound like he is getting worse as a player!!
Coutinho has had 44 shots in 15 games whereas Eden Hazard has had 26 in 20 games. They have both hit the target 17 times. Coutinho has won 17 tackles and Hazard only 10. I thought comparing Coutinho with Hazard was a little optimistic, but he comes out favourably.
Coutinho is a quality player.
Lets see how true that is next week, but these reports suggesting sterling to go on loan look stupid as hell, he and hendo were the best in the last month and rodgers always crying out for squad depth so what depth is that, you bring one and offload the other, hope that aint true if yes.. It would be scandalous, Im not convinced by salah at all but I bet these types are the only players lfc could have, no bombastic signings, just average unproven and over priced. Im afraid that wont be enough to win anything AGAIN.
ReplyDeleteSo many contradictions in this article it gets a little confusing. I'm getting the impression the article is basically saying Coutinho isn't good enough as too small/weak (tell that to the 4 players he left for dead against hull!) while sterling is now a star (who I'm sure is smaller and weaker) and Salah isn't required as we already have Coutinho and Sterling.
ReplyDeletePersonally I assume he would be replacing Aspas.
Also sending Suso on loan appears to be a possible masterstroke. he probably would hardly have played and currently Liverpool are in top 4 with the current crop. Might just allow Suso to come back for next season an experienced player to improve the squad.
Sometimes the logic might be we reduce the current squad size but develop a player for the future. A bit like Suso - he wouldn't have played much this season but would have made the squad bigger. Does the benefit of a slightly larger squad outweigh the development of a future player who, with the experience gained, comes back a much improved player?
ReplyDeleteMe personally, I think Suso's loan is a good think because he gets to play every week and is gaining valuable experience, experience that he has never gotten. The downside is that there has been time this season that we needed him.
ReplyDeleteSterling going on loan would only work if he was not needed at all and we had plenty of cover. IMO we need both of them to compete for top four.
On current form I would send coutinho on loan rather than sterling, and that aspas needs to leave asap, for me hes the second worst signing of all time after poulsen
ReplyDeleteSterling on loan to Swansea .....bad bad idea.....id say sent Alberto n Aspas on loan, get Suso back as well
ReplyDeleteWho's Tony G :) Maybe we are getting Salah and I hope we do but Sterling on loan is not going to happen, are the bookies betting on that?
ReplyDelete'The main story here is Sterling going on loan...I really wonder who makes these decisions' - you really must be daft to assume that just because Mido says so it is actually true. I just don't see Sterling going out now he's regained form and established himself in the first team.
ReplyDeletePascoe just confirmed Sterling is not going out on loan.
ReplyDeleteWhat drugs are you on?
ReplyDeleteMido may well be right about MS joining LFC but he will only be acting on heresay and rumour re Sterling. I really doubt that Rogers, or any manager, will talk about what will happen with another pro as part of a transfer - it's just not relevant to the discussions.
ReplyDeleteIt's his vision and passing that needs to improve IMO.
ReplyDeleteI just don't see this happening now he has regained his form and first team place. With FAC starting there will be plenty of opportunities even if we bring in 2-3 players we need good players to provide depth and cover for injuries, suspensions and lack of form.
ReplyDeleteCome on Jamie, don't be so gullible.
ReplyDeleteSterling is going nowhere even if we buy Salah.
We have a thin squad and the Sterling loan deal is just a fabrication by the Mirror or some other shitty paper/ football site. Mido is just repeating the same nonsense
Pascoe already laughed about it, and so should you.
ReplyDeleteSterling is going nowhere.
His vision is fine but his execution is going through a rocky spell. Thinking about it, he's more suited to supplu Sturridge than Suarez, because of the way Sturridge moves into space behind with intent, where for Suarez a dart in behind is often a ploy to make space to receive the ball turning back the other way before attacking the off-balance defender 1-1. So it might not quite be the issue it seems to be.
ReplyDeleteGod I'm on fire today.
that'll put the rumor to bed eh :) ,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a classic case of coaching him into better habits, to me. The coaching has given him a lot to think about when he's shooting, so he stutters or snatches. It hasn't become second nature yet to do what he's being asked to do, which I'd guess is to shoot with less backlift and a more explosive technique rather than going for placement, which was his usual way when he joined the club and meant he tended to shoot tamely. it's a matter of time. Could suddenly click in a month, could take years; might never happen, though that seems kinda unlikely given his talent and obvious enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteBR is intelligent and next season he will use Suso and Assaidi to great effect. Before both being sent on loan neither Suso or Assaidi could step up to the plate to win us a game. Even the players in the squad probly think that too and so maybe they wont get the pass even if there in a good position because the player does not have trust in them. instead there might be a harder pass to make to Suarez and they would rather choose Suarez as they know hes more likely to score.
ReplyDeleteWith Assaidi and Suso going out loan, there now showing there team-mates there capable of winning games for their team and this will give great confidence to both Assaidi and Suso and the other players around them will feed them oppurtunites. Suso is getting valuable experience to become the Star player of a team(Almeria) and Assaidi is getting a years experience of being the star player of a team in the Premier League against our rivals and getting valuable game time. it fantastic tactics by rodgers. BR can now say to Assaidi when he returns from his loan, i believe in you. show me the form you showed at Stoke City and you can remain in the Starting line-up. same goes for Suso. and i think with the football were now playing the pair would fit in well
--------------------------Mingolet
Henderson-----Skrtel--------Agger------Enrique
-------------------------Gerrard
---------------Salah--------------Suso
Sturridge-------------------------Assaidi/Coutinho
--------------------Sturridge
im pretty much finished with Glen Johnson and i do not like his indiscipline and contribution to the team. hes a liability in the squad IMO and i would even much prefer to have Hendo bursting in from right-back. I would have no problem with Suso starting ahead of coutinho or Assaidi starting ahead of Coutinho. Gerrard has a enough experience to play the holding midfield role to good effect. he is now much to slow to play further forward anyways. bottom line is Assaidi and Coutinho will be much better players next season and will be able to gel into the team next season whilst also improving the future
Swansea were interested in taking Sterling, that much is true but that has changed, simple as that.
ReplyDeletetotally agree sometimes when u watch a game u see a player try to make a ridiculous pass to suarez and as a result needlessly lose possession when assaidi, suso or sterling were open like u said diselief in there abilities hopefully come next season that'll be put to bed
ReplyDeleteTrue,I wonder does Coutinho read this site?
ReplyDeleteIt's not like Salah joining Liverpool should all depend on Sterling's future anyway. This would be different if Liverpool were trying to make a swap deal with Basel.
ReplyDeletekresh amphetamines
ReplyDeleteWith a bit of effort in practice, just like a bit of elbow-grease effort in polishing, Coutinho and Sterling will become satisfactory finishers. It's the most fun, yet one of the easiest practice drills; and skills to learn, in the game.
ReplyDeleteI dun think signing Salah is a replacement Steering. I think is a release Coutinho playing wide and focus him back to middle (AM role)...
ReplyDeleteRumour is Gerrard may end up in the back 4 sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteIt seems Basle are the holdup on this as they haven't accepted LFC's offer. I would bet Salah is trying to force their hand by getting his mates to say it's a done deal. Don't fret folks I'm sure he's coming. All the underlying comments point to Salah himself itching to make the move but his club maybe being a little greedy..
ReplyDeleteHe won't be replacing Sterling Thats just silly talk. We have not got the squad to let go one of our current best performers. Aspas on the other hand????
ReplyDelete