In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Mo Salah’s links to Al-Ittihad, where Mason Greenwood could play next, rumours Ivan Toney could leave Brentford, plus much more.
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Liverpool should cash in on Mo Salah… But only for record-fee…
It’s a strange one because if this was before Salah had signed a new contract, it’d have been unthinkable for him to leave Anfield but I think it’s a little bit different now. The reality is, Liverpool aren’t in the same financial bracket as the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, so if Al-Ittihad, or any other club, make them an offer, and don’t get me wrong, it’ll have to be a mega offer, probably a world-record, then I can see them accepting because they just can’t afford to say no to something like £300 million.
I know it’s quite late in the transfer window but Liverpool aren’t struggling for attackers. They’ve got Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota so while I don’t think they could necessarily replace the impact Salah has had for them over the years, they’re not going to be left short of options if he does leave, and at the end of the day, he’s 31-years-old now, he’s going to depart at some point, why not get the absolute maximum you can out of a player that has already helped deliver every trophy possible?
Of course, it all depends on what Liverpool want to do, if they’re serious about not losing him, then if recent reports are anything to go by, the player will have to push for a transfer himself. I don’t see Salah as a disruptive type of player, but again, if reports he’s being offered £1,500,000-per week are to be believed, there is no way he’s turning his back on that. Who would? – But it isn’t just the money on offer that will appeal to Salah. There’s a huge cultural aspect to this touted move. He’s a strict muslim and let’s be honest, he isn’t a born n’ bred scouser. Yes, he will go down as a Liverpool legend but he’s a career professional that has already had several high-profile transfers in his time so why wouldn’t he move to the Middle East?
For me, it’s quite simple, if I’m Liverpool, I am holding firm and saying to Al-Ittihad ‘If you really want to sign Salah, you’ll need to offer £300 million, and if you do that, we’ll fly him to Jeddah ourselves.’
I can’t see Saudi signing Mason Greenwood…
The reality is, Mason Greenwood is still a professional football so while I understand some clubs in England not wanting to sign him, there is nothing stopping clubs from overseas being interested. He’s got a lot of making up to do and I would like to see him make those positive changes, both on and off the field. If he’s man enough to make mistakes, he should be man enough to own them and make the necessary changes to improve and develop both as an athlete and as a person.
In terms of football though, ironically, I can’t see him signing for any Saudi club. Saudi Arabia has a poor record and reputation when it comes to human rights, particularly those of women, so because they want to show the world how progressive they can be through sport, I think a move for Greenwood would be counter-productive to their ambitions.
I obviously don’t know where Greenwood will end up playing, but I would be extremely surprised if he moves directly to another Premier League club. I think the Portuguese league, or a similar league, would be his likeliest destination. But whatever happens next for him, it looks like he’s going to have to do it the hard way and start at the bottom.
Where are all the world-class players?
Chelsea started off with a decent performance against Liverpool but failed to get the result and they followed it up with a disappointing 3-1 defeat against West Ham United last weekend. While some fans might be questioning whether or not Mauricio Pochettino is the right man for the job, I think any talk of him being under pressure is far too premature.
I actually think the bigger question here is where have all the world-class players gone? We know Chelsea’s transfer policy is to sign as many young and talented players as they can and to build a squad where they can all develop together. That’s a huge risk though. There are no guarantees the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk are going to go on and become world-class; even Moises Caicedo – he’s a good player and he certainly could become one of the sport’s best defensive midfielders but there are no guarantees that’ll actually happen. Who knows? – Give it a few years and what’s to say Chelsea aren’t trying to offload him for a third of what they paid Brighton for him? – We just don’t know.
It’s not just Chelsea that don’t have any world-class players (yes, I said what I said). It’s the same situation at a lot of top clubs. Think about it, where are all the 25 to 27-year-old world-class players? – Man United don’t have any. Spurs don’t have any. Arsenal don’t have any. We see a lot of young players with high potential and a lot of older players, who are, or were world-class, such as 32-year-old Kevin De Bruyne, but where are all the world-class players in their prime?
Ivan Toney eyeing Brentford exit?
Ivan Toney has been linked with a move away from Brentford. He’s reportedly wanted by Spurs, Chelsea and Man United. This actually ties into my point just above about world-class players, particularly strikers, being few and far between.
Don’t get me wrong – I like Toney. I think he’s a good striker and can certainly do a job for most clubs, but if we were talking 15, 20, 30 years ago, there is no way those clubs would be interested in signing him. If he is the best striker available to three Champions League-calibre teams, it really just proves my earlier point – WHERE ARE ALL THE WORLD-CLASS PLAYERS?!
And why my favourite Premier League player might surprise you…
Interestingly, it’s actually one of Toney’s Brentford teammates that I think top sides should be taking a closer look at – Bryan Mbeumo.
I love him! – It may surprise some of you but Mbeumo is my favourite player in the Premier League. I think he’s quality. Whenever I watch him, he gets the ball close to his feet, he’s very direct, he makes excellent runs in the channels, he can drop deep, he holds the ball up really well, he is very supportive of his striking partner, he gets in the box and poaches goals, he’s physically strong. I could go on and on. He’s a great player! – If Salah does end up leaving Liverpool this summer then I certainly think Jurgen Klopp should consider Brentford’s number 19.