With just a single transfer, Arne Slot can potentially release Mohamed Salah in a new position at Liverpool.

Liverpool striker Although Mohamed Salah hasn’t been playing well lately, there is more to the story than that.

The Egyptian could gain from taking on a different role in the upcoming season.

While Liverpool may not have anything to lose in the match, all eyes will be on Mohamed Salah when the Reds play Spurs later this weekend. With his theatrics against West Ham on Saturday, the Egyptian made sure that was the case.

Before Salah stoked the fires with his mixed zone remarks, Jürgen Klopp was eager to put an end to the incident.

It will be intriguing to see if the Liverpool star is back in the starting lineup eight days after the dramatic touchline altercation. Presumably, the falling out was due to his absence.

Going into the summer, Salah has a bit of a question mark over him. As he is currently 31 years old and his contract at Anfield expires in 2025, there is speculation that his recent, unusual injury and poor performance are the beginning of a downward spiral. Although it would be a significant step, there is some justification for it.

Even while the Middle East’s interest in Salah has persisted a year after it first surfaced, Liverpool does not anticipate losing him this summer, and there is no reason to believe that he would be further lured by the riches of the Saudi Pro League. As evidenced by Jordan Henderson’s misguided tenure there, it is not yet the premier division that it aspires to be.

It will be up to Arne Slot, the soon-to-be-confirmed new head coach, to get the most out of him if he decides to stay at Liverpool and signs a new deal to prevent the Reds from losing him for nothing. And that’s not always simple, as the Klopp controversy demonstrated.

When it comes to just sports, Salah is still very important to Liverpool. Even if some of his goals and assists this season have come from penalties, he leads the Reds in both categories and is unquestionably the most dependable forward on the team. He is far ahead of the rest in terms of availability (apart from his current injury) and conviction when it comes to finding the back of the goal.

Salah will end the season with the fewest Premier League goals scored since joining Chelsea, but the fact that he has still scored 17 goals makes that statistic much more striking. For most talented forwards, that is a career-best.

Salah, who is in his 30s now, is not as explosive as he used to be. He is more of a playmaker than a traditional player. He has honed that aspect of his game and loves to pass the opposition’s defence. Darwin Núñez’s assist totals would make that much more clear if he finished stronger.

Regardless of the criterion used, Salah’s inventiveness rating is at or very close to the top. He may not be scoring goals as frequently as he once did, but he is creating plenty of opportunities for his teammates (at least for the entire season).

Despite his recent bias, Salah continues to provide an enormous lot at the top of the pitch, as evidenced by his stats. He has produced more huge opportunities than anybody else in the top division, and no one can match his predicted assists per ninety.
In the Eredivisie, Arne Slot is well known for his fondness for wingers, and although Salah somewhat fits the bill, he has never truly been a wide player. Even when he performs below average, he is still far, far more than that.

The Athletic’s report this week suggested that Liverpool would add a forward this summer; if Salah were to play inside more frequently, it would make the most sense. Without needing to try and use the explosive pace to beat a man who isn’t necessarily there these days, he would be able to create more from there and maybe score more as well.

Someone else, a new acquisition better placed off the right rather than forcing Diogo Jota or Cody Gakpo to play there, might occupy the right wing position with Salah as a number 10, as Slot loves pacy, direct wide players and has previously employed a 4-2-3-1 configuration. While it wouldn’t have to be available in every game, it may be a possibility.