Liverpool have a quiet issue with Mohamed Salah which needs to be resolved as comparisons with Kylian Mbappé prove deceptive

A particularly curious statistic about Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah shows where the Egyptian simply needs to improve in the second half of the 2022/23 season.

Miguel Almiron, Rodrigo, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ivan Toney. What do these four players have in common? All have scored more Premier League goals this season than Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah.

Salah has made just seven appearances in his first 19 top-flight games this season and following Saturday’s goalless draw with former club Chelsea, he is quietly enduring a four-game drought. Liverpool are halfway through their season against the Blues and if Salah repeats his efforts in the latter part of the campaign, he would be left with a measly 14 by his standards.

The problems are, it must be said, partly systemic. Salah has averaged the fewest shots per 90 (3.21), goals per 90 (0.48) and touches per 90 (7.33) of his Liverpool career. The supply line he grew accustomed to just wasn’t there amid the team’s collapse.

However, he also has to take some of the blame for his disappointing performance. Salah’s xG may be down but it remains at 9.0 for the whole season, which means he should have scored two more goals based on the chances given to him. It doesn’t seem like too much, but it can be the difference between several points and positions.

And he also missed 12 “big chances”, which puts him third in the Premier League behind team-mate Darwin Núñez (15) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. While the positive underlying numbers have dropped, he is on course for a Liverpool career in that department.

Some would say Salah has often been at the top of this ranking – he’s been in the top two in three of his five seasons – but the reason we’re highlighting this point now is that, unlike Haaland, he doesn’t hit hard enough. goals, to disguise it.

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Liverpool transfer news LIVE – Enzo Fernandez ‘new move’, Moises Caicedos consideration, Mason Mount latest

Liverpool broadcast news, rumours, gossip and speculation including updates on Moises Caicedo, Ruben Neves, Jude Bellingham and more

Liverpool continue to be linked with a transfer of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, while there is also news on the future of Brighton star Moises Caicedo and Ruben Neves from Wolves.

Liverpool continue to be linked with a transfer of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, while there is also news on the future of Brighton star Moises Caicedo and Ruben Neves from Wolves

Klopp rules out Ramsay loan

Jurgen Klopp has reportedly ‘ruled out’ a loan move for Calvin Ramsay during the current transfer window.

The right-back, who joined the club from Aberdeen in the summer, has been limited to a handful of appearances due to injury setbacks.

A report from TEAMtalk suggests clubs like Watford and Swansea City have expressed interest in a temporary deal for the youngster, which Klopp wanted to prevent.

The article above indicates that Ramsay is keen to stay at Anfield for the rest of the season as he believes it will be the most beneficial option for his development. Chelsea plan a ‘new move’ for Fernandez

Chelsea are reportedly ready to make a second step for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

The Londoners were highly applauded by Liverpool’s alleged goal earlier this month and were said to be “very close” to a deal for the World Cup winner at one point. However, talks are believed to have stalled, leaving Fernandez in Portugal.

A new Guardian report has said that Graham Potter’s team is considering revisiting this deal and submitting a better offer for Moises Caicedo.

Frank Lampard fired

There has been a managerial departure at Merseyside this afternoon as Frank Lampard leaves Everton after less than a year in charge. It means there will be a new face in the Blues dugout when Liverpool take on the Toffees in next month’s Merseyside derby at Anfield.

Williams recall confirmed

Liverpool have officially confirmed that Rhy Williams has returned to the club after being recalled from his loan spell at Blackpool.

Adam Lallana drops fitness update ahead of Liverpool clash

Former Liverpool star Adam Lallana has given an update on his fitness ahead of his reunion with his former club Brighton in the FA Cup this weekend.

Lallana lasted just 30 minutes in the draw against Leicester at the weekend and the ex-Reds says he will be ‘back soon’ from injury.

Man United newcomer has already admitted he loves Liverpool

Liverpool seem to have an admirer in the form of the recent signing from Manchester United. The Reds and their bitter rivals were already active during the January transfer window. Liverpool have signed Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven who could top £40million with add-ons.

At Old Trafford, the only signing for Man United is Wout Weghorst, on loan from Burnley after his loan spell at Besiktas was cancelled. Gakpo and Weghorst were both part of the Dutch national team during the World Cup in Qatar.

Weghorst has previously expressed his admiration for Liverpool and the atmosphere at Anfield. In 2020, while at Wolsfburg, the forward explained how hearing the club’s famous anthem affects him.

Defender to be recalled as Liverpool face Nat Phillips transfer decision

Liverpool will recall Rhys Williams from his loan spell at Championship side Blackpool with growing interest in Nat Phillips ahead of next week’s transfer deadline.

Williams has made 17 appearances for the Tangerines since he agreed a one-season spell in the summer, although he has only made one appearance in his last five matches.

The Reds are pleased with the 21-year-old’s first-team experience, especially after a difficult loan spell at Swansea City, making just seven appearances before being recalled.

Liverpool “will not bid” for Moises Caicedo in January

Liverpool will not bid for Moises Caicedo in January, it is said. The Reds continue to be linked with a move by the Brighton midfielder, as do Chelsea.

Chelsea are leading the race to sign the Ecuador international this month but are “a long way off” on valuations, with Brighton asking for more than £75m, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

There are also allegations that Liverpool will not make a transfer to Caicedo this month, despite repeated links.

Jurgen Klopp ‘decided’ to move for Federico Chiesa

Liverpool have been linked with a move by Juventus striker Federico Chiesa.

According to the Italian newspaper Calcio Mercato, the Reds are looking to sign Chiesa in the summer. It has been claimed that Liverpool are considering Chiesa as a replacement for Mohamed Salah, with Jurgen Klopp ‘deciding’ to switch to the Italian.

A fee in the region of £53m has been quoted as what Juve would demand before Chiesa is allowed to leave the club.

Liverpool say two transfers have ‘a price’ as Jurgen Klopp sends stark message

Former Chelsea star Tony Cascarino has explained why he thinks a lack of Champions League football won’t stop Liverpool from signing the players they want.

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Is Liverpool absolutely right about the $105m transfer decision on Mohamed Salah? – Find Out

A Liverpool man has given a positive boost to the Reds and there are questionable signs he is now more important to the club’s success than Mohamed Salah.

A draw may not have changed the nature of Liverpool’s top four by much on Saturday afternoon, but the return of Darwin Núñez was very welcome after a spell without the Uruguayan international.

The centre-forward made an immediate difference when he was introduced against Chelsea, and amid the form Mohamed Salah has now seen with just one goal in six games, it may not be long before the torch is finally passed to a star who he will form an important part of the second generation of Jürgen Klopp’s offensive line.
And it looks like Liverpool’s $105m (£85m/€97m) transfer decision was right.

If you believe absence makes your heart grow fonder, it’s fair to suggest that Liverpool’s attack has been lacking during their brief spell without Núñez. The Reds recorded just 1.11 expected goals (xG) in their two games against Brighton and Wolves, with Harvey Elliott’s long-range strike being the only goal scored for Klopp’s side. Defenders looked more confident against an attacking Liverpool front without Núñez, while the lack of penetrations behind meant the ball was harder to grab for creative players.

Without Luis Díaz to isolate defenders with his dribbling skills, the Reds’ attack appear to have relied on Núñez this season – especially given the loss of form of a player unrivaled in attack last term.

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Having contributed to 36 goals in 35 Premier League games, Salah looks unable to shake off the dip in form that followed him towards the end of the 2021/22 season. There are still moments of magic, but they happen less now, as does the frequency with which he dribbles past defenders.

Sure, the Egypt international has struck 17 more times this season, but in games where Liverpool have struggled, it was Núñez who was most likely to turn things around. Although the torch hasn’t quite changed hands, there are signs that Núñez is grabbing it. And the Uruguayan might be in the best position to lead Liverpool once the new era begins.

With the possibility Salah and Roberto Firmino could have left Merseyside by the summer of 2025, a chapter in Klopp’s tenure will be closed. But while Diogo Jota and Díaz have done more than enough to solidify their places in the pages to come, it looks like Núñez will become Liverpool’s key player, as a star who could shape the forward line for the next decade.

That made his fitness crucial for the rest of the season, in an injury-plagued top-four contest that left Liverpool seven points behind at mid-season. Keep Núñez fit and there could be enough in the Reds’ avant-garde even without Jota and Díaz to see Jürgen Klopp’s side squeeze into the top four.