Jamie Carragher predicted the futures of Liverpool’s original front-three on Tuesday evening. He expects one to leave on a free.
Liverpool enter a massive summer once this season is done. All three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino will have just one year remaining on their deals – all three would want a lot of money to re-sign.
The trio has been the bedrock of Liverpool’s incredible success under Jurgen Klopp. They’ll also all be past 30 by the time next season kicks off – and that creates a contract problem. Just how much value is there in long-term deals for all three?
Salah’s situation has dominated the conversation but Liverpool could decide either way on all three players. It could well be the end of an era or it could be the Reds doubling down on their historic trio. We just don’t know.
Jamie Carragher had a go at predicting what he thinks will happen on Tuesday evening. It appears Salah’s future is the hardest to judge. The other two? Carra thinks he knows.
“If I’m being honest, I think Sadio Mané will sign at some stage,” he told Sky Sports. “Salah is obviously up in the air – it’s gone on for a few months.
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“I think Roberto Firmino may see his contract out and may feel he’s not getting enough games by the end of next season. I don’t think Liverpool will move him on and he may go for free at the end of next season.
“That’s the way I see it. Obviously, I’m desperate for Mo Salah to sign and I think he should sign.”
The futures of Liverpool’s front-three
We’re not entirely sure on this one, either. In fact, there’s a good chance that Carragher has Mané and Firmino the wrong way around here. The former will get attention and big offers from elsewhere – offers Liverpool may struggle to match for a player in his 30s.
Firmino, though, doesn’t quite boast the same reputation and Liverpool may be able to secure more years of him for a reasonable wage. Obviously, no one really knows where the Salah one is going – we hope, like Carragher, that he re-signs but it will take a lot of money to get it done.
But it’s a guessing game. This is a massive summer with no ‘right’ answers and we’ll have to wait and see what Liverpool do. It’s not going to be easy.