Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, who recently became only the second player to be named the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) men’s player of the year three times and won the Premier League Golden Boot for most goal involvement during the season, said Liverpool fans played a critical role in his two-year contract extension with the champion club despite having “serious talks” with Saudi Pro League.
Manager Arne Slot and his men confirmed their 20th title win, which matched Manchester United’s all-time record, with a 5-1 win over Tottenham on April 27, and finished on 84 points from their 38 matches following a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Liverpool’s title came five years after they won in 2020 under former manager Jurgen Klopp. That win was their first in 30 years (1990).
Salah scored a goal in the Tottenham match, and also against Palace six minutes from time to ensure his team did not lose the match on what was a day of celebration at Anfield. It was his 29th goal of the season. He also had 18 assists, which meant he matched the all-time record of 47 goal involvements with Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. However, Salah’s mark was set in a 38-game season, while both Shearer and Cole played 42 matches during their achievement.
In an interview with On Sport Egyptian TV channel, Salah said: “Part of the pressure (for him to stay with Liverpool) on the club came from the fans, I know from the start that they wanted me to continue, and they played their role in all of this.
“It (SPL) was a good opportunity to me. If I hadn’t renewed with Liverpool, it would have happened. My relations with SPL officials are very good, we talked a lot, and the negotiations were serious.”
Some British media reported that Salah turned down a three-year deal offered by SPL’s Al Ittihad that would have earned him close to GBP500million (US$678 million).
The 32-year-old eventually renewed his contract with Liverpool until 2027.
“The negotiations were long, I know the club’s policy. We reached a middle ground that made us all happy,” Salah added.
In the interview with On Sport, Salah also spoke about the differences between the current manager Slot, and former manager Klopp.
“Every coach has a different style of play, but I talk a lot with Slot and we understand each other very well,” he said.
“Unlike Klopp, we sit a lot and talk, he (Slot) was honest with me from the beginning and told me that he wants to get the best out of me and I told him that I want to be comfortable on the pitch.”
On Klopp, Salah added: “He gave too much to the club and Liverpool won a lot with him.”
Salah, who joined Liverpool in 2017, has gone past Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero to become the fifth highest goal scorer in the history of the Premier League. The Egyptian has 186 goals, with Shearer the top-scorer with 260 goals, followed by Harry Kane (213) and Wayne Rooney (208).
