Mohamed Saleh believes his “unusual” contract negotiations with Liverpool had been a catalyst for a season through which he fired the Reds to a historic Premier League title.
Salah’s blistering kind within the first half of the season got here amid strategies he might depart Liverpool with the membership seemingly making little progress in negotiations with their talisman.
However Salah and the Reds lastly agreed to a brand new deal on April 11 to make sure he’ll stay at Anfield for a minimum of two extra seasons, and he was on course simply over two weeks later as Liverpool clinched a record-tying twentieth English top-flight title with a 5-1 victory over Tottenham.
With 28 objectives and 18 assists within the league this season, Salah has 46 objective involvements to his title, one shy of the all-time Premier League document collectively owned by Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-45). The Egypt worldwide was this week named Participant of the 12 months by the Soccer Writers’ Affiliation.
Mohamed Salah gained the Footballer of the 12 months award with over 90pc of the vote from our 900-plus members. He joins Thierry Henry as the one man to have gained this award 3 instances, having executed so in 2018 and 2022. Nicely executed @MoSalah 🥇🥇🥇 #FOTY pic.twitter.com/P50DyVAuxc
— The Soccer Writers’ Affiliation (@theofficialfwa) Might 9, 2025
And Salah revealed the thought he would possibly depart the membership on the finish of the season helped gas his excellent season.
In an interview with France Soccer, Salah stated: “It [leaving] was a risk, sure. It was truly a bit unusual, we had been actually going sturdy this season, and there was this negotiation that wasn’t simple.
“In the long run, all’s effectively that ends effectively: we’re champions and I’m staying for 2 extra seasons.
“I suppose it was in the end an enormous benefit as a result of I had the most effective statistical season of my life. The likelihood that it might be my final season right here, maybe, gave me the need to benefit from it and provides all the things I needed to win the title I had promised.
“I had this mindset: if the membership doesn’t wish to prolong my contract, no worries, let’s end in addition to doable so I can depart with a bang.”
Salah had made profitable the Premier League for a second time a precedence, Liverpool having been unable to have fun with followers after doing so in 2019-20 due to the coronavirus pandemic that paused the season earlier than it was resumed with out supporters.
“I even stated it was my predominant objective,” he added. “That is the primary time in my profession that I’ve positioned the championship above the Champions League.
“It was such a heartbreak not to have the ability to have fun with our followers in 2020, as a result of pandemic, that I completely wished, together with the entire staff, to supply this to our followers and the town. 9 months later, promise stored.”
