Liverpool could sign “10/10” Salah replacement for £50m

Dissect Liverpool‘s performance against Arsenal, and you’d find plenty to criticise. It was an imperfect display, one that Arne Slot will know could have yielded far more rotten fruits, had the Gunners capitalised on their early energy.

Mikel Arteta has built his side to elite status, but they looked depleted on Sunday afternoon and saw their influence pared down as the contest went on, something that Liverpool took advantage of in the closing stage.

Indeed, having initially restored parity in the first half through skipper Virgil van Dijk‘s header, the Reds clawed back once again through Mohamed Salah‘s tidy finish, capping off a delicious team move with less than ten minutes on the clock.

Mohamed Salah’s influence for Arne Slot

We’re now two months away from January. It’ll be a new year, one rich with possibility but fraught with danger for Liverpool. Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Salah will all be free to chat with clubs overseas and make pre-contract agreements.

Once again, Salah proved to be the architect of Liverpool’s success, scoring at the Emirates Stadium to level the scores and stay four points above stuttering Arsenal, albeit ceding the Premier League‘s top spot to Manchester City – who have dauntingly sauntered into pole position at the first quarter of the campaign.

That’s eight goals and seven assists across all competitions for the Egyptian king, who might be 32 now but is hardly detached from the supreme athletic prowess that complements his prolific shooting and improved playmaking.

To think that this man’s esteemed Anfield career could be reaching its conclusion is almost unthinkable, but the stark reality is that FSG have it all to do, with arguably the three most important Liverpool members leaving Slot’s project simultaneously. The setback could be significant.

Salah’s £350k-per-week contract towers above the rest of the squad’s earnings, and rightly so, his brilliance demanded a twist to the previously rigid structure. However, whether FSG will continue to cover such a financial cost remains to be seen.

If Liverpool are to lose their linchpin, sporting director Richard Hughes must surely replace Salah with a fitting successor, one whose potency and overall performance levels suggest that he could not just add to but enhance this wonderful breadth of offensive quality on Merseyside.

Luckily, pre-emptive moves are indeed being made.

Liverpool now eyeing Salah successor

According to a report from Sky Sport Germany last week, Liverpool are interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, who is valued at around €60m (£50m) by the sixth-place Bundesliga outfit.

Though Frankfurt have ruled out the Egyptian departure in January, Marmoush could be up for grabs next summer given that contact has already been made.

The 25-year-old would leap at the chance to move to the Premier League and play for Liverpool, no doubt enticed by the success of his country’s talisman.

Why Omar Marmoush could replace Salah

Let’s get one thing straight: Salah has entered the later stage of his career, and even if he pens an extension on Merseyside, it would be imprudent to neglect to search for an heir on the right flank.

Hailed as a “10/10” talent by scout Jacek Kulig, Marmoush would be a fitting replacement, and not only because of the shared ancestry. The Frankfurt striker has gone from strength to strength in Germany over the past few years, now regarded as one of the Bundesliga’s finest and most fearsome forwards.

Harry Kane attracts attention from his homeland as he maintains eye-catching rates of scoring with Bayern Munich, but remarkably, the Liverpool transfer target is going punch for punch with the Three Lions captain in 2024/25, suggesting that he could step into his compatriot’s shoes and provide Liverpool with goals and assists aplenty.

It’s quite a thing, and with efforts in the Europa League and DFB-Pokal (the German version of the FA Cup) placed in the equation too, it can be seen that Marmoush has posted ten goals and seven assists across all competitions this season – even more goal contributions than Salah.

The talent’s creativity and ball-carrying quality suggest that he could perform as a sort of early iteration of Salah at Liverpool, ranking among the top 1% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 8% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

Such skills have led FBref to present Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. as the Frankfurt star’s most similar player, a real testament to his fleet feet and direct style of play, almost unorthodox in his motions.

The Brazilian has been one of the finest players in the world across the past few years and is expected to finish second in the Ballon d’Or rankings, having risen to the status of Madrid’s star forward in a line carrying the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.

Vinicius Jr.’s sharp dribbling, flair and flamboyance have made him one of the most dangerous forwards of his generation, having scored 32 goals and supplied 18 assists since the start of last season.

He ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for progressive carries and successful take-ons, the top 8% for assists and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90 (FBref), with such metrics making it clear to see how the 24-year-old operates in a similar realm to that of Marmoush.

Liverpool know of the Los Blancos galactico’s star power only too well, but by signing their own version of the South American, Slot might just get his hands on the perfect Salah successor, one who could spearhead the new era.

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