After racking up yet another win on Sunday, things could hardly be going better on the pitch for Liverpool this season.
Ahead of an enormous week in which they face both Real Madrid and Manchester City, the Reds have set themselves up perfectly to go on and have a special season.
However, off the field, things have not been quite so smooth for Liverpool.
The shadow of contract talks – or a lack of them – with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold have dominated headlines just as much as Arne Slot’s relentless winning streak.
Things got turned up a notch or two in that respect over the weekend, with Salah publicly claiming that he has no offer to extend from the Liverpool owners.
The fallout has been predictably hyperbolic, with supporters clamouring to tell the club they should simply give Salah whatever he wants. Rarely one to hold back with his thoughts, former Liverpool full-back Steve Nicol has now weighed in.
Steve Nicol gives Mohamed Salah verdict
Salah and Nicol are two Liverpool legends. Both players made Jamie Carragher’s greatest ever Reds XI and deservedly so.
As a result, of his status at Anfield – and slightly outspoken nature – it is always useful to hear Nicol’s take on goings on at his former club.
And when asked by ESPN to give his verdict on Salah’s comments, the 63-year-old suggested that Salah’s comments could actually be good news for supporters who wish to see him stay.
“I think there’s actually two sides to this, Nicol began. “I think the good side is it sounds to me as though he wants to stay.
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“I got from listening to him and looking at him that he wants a contract. That’s great news for Liverpool fans.
“Unfortunately, the other side of the coin is, if there’s no offer yet, what is the problem? And I guess the problem really is it’s down to money, no question.
“I’m a little surprised that Salah’s come out again, he’s already come out once,” added Nicol. “For a guy who doesn’t speak to the press to come out again and say what he did, I think what he’s doing is looking for a little bit of, not leverage, but he’s telling them ‘you need to offer me something pretty quickly.'”
Does Mohamed Salah want to stay at Liverpool?
While it certainly did sound as though Salah was angling for a contract to be offered, we’d be wary of going all out and saying that he desperately wants to stay at Liverpool.
There is surely little question that Salah has been playing the field and seeing what other options are out there for him as his contract winds down.
That’s obviously normal for any player who’s time at a club is potentially ending and it does not mean that staying where he is is not Salah’s first choice.
However, it would be unwise to see the No.11’s comments as anything but what they are: a public game of chess aimed at strengthening his hand in negotiations.
We’ll just have to sit tight and see whether Liverpool bow to the pressure or whether the public nature of Salah’s tactics ends up backfiring.
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