Mohamed Salah has committed his future to Liverpool. But there will still be questions about his long-term successor, and the Reds are scouring the globe to find someone who could one day follow in his footsteps.
In fact, Salah’s new contract is one piece of continuity amid a period of major change at the club. You wouldn’t know it from the seamless manner in which Arne Slot has taken over from Jurgen Klopp, but Liverpool has used the legendary manager’s departure as a trigger for something of an overhaul.
One of the first things FSG did when Klopp told them the news was to get on the phone to Michael Edwards. Handed more authority than he had ever possessed before, he set about constructing a new backroom structure, appointing Richard Hughes as sporting director.
That was the headline hire, but there have been all sorts of appointments. Julian Ward and David Woodfine both returned to the club, and there were some fresh names too.
According to the Mail, youth recruitment has been a major priority. That has seen a loan pathway lead and loan performance manager join the club. Meanwhile, the scouts have been hard at work too. And where better to potentially find the next Salah than in Egypt?
That’s currently the venue for the U20 African Cup of Nations. Liverpool has a presence there to try and find one of the continent’s next stars. Salah himself once came third at the U20 AFCON with Egpyt, doing so in 2011. Yaya Toure is another notable alum.
(Image: Chris Stein/AFP via Getty Images)
Naturally, Liverpool is unlikely to find someone to directly succeed Salah. But by identifiyng talent earlier in the pipeline, it will hope to save itself some hefty transfer fees in the future.
Of course, Salah himself is a case study on why that is sometimes better in theory than in practice. Chelsea spotted him early, but brought him to the Premier League too soon, and ended up missing out on his brilliance.
Moreover, in sharp contrast to the Klopp era, youth has not been a particularly notable factor in Slot’s early success. He has tended to turn to his select group of trusted senior pros.
But when push comes to shove, there is never any great downside to spotting good talent before others. Even if Liverpool finds players who never end up kicking a ball for the senior team, they may well turn a healthy profit somewhere down the line.
And with Edwards returning to the FSG fold on the promise of a multi-club model, Liverpool may soon have a route to easily continue the development of players who Slot does not view as quite ready for first team action. Malaga is being explored as an option.
Liverpool’s presence in Egpyt for the U20 AFCON is ultimately all part of the wider strategy. And while it might not find the next Salah, or indeed anyone it wishes to sign, the renewed focus on youth is another clue about the club’s continued evolution as it enters a new era.
