With the ink drying on Mo Salah’s freshly-printed Liverpool contract, Graham Potter is under no illusions about the size of the task facing his West Ham United backline as the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner-in-waiting looks to mark the occasion in style.
Liverpool host West Ham at Anfield on Sunday afternoon at 2pm.
And while The Reds find themselves in something of a lull following that Champions League exit, the EFL Cup defeat by Newcastle United and last week’s shocking reverse at Fulham, news that Mohamed Salah will be staying at Liverpool for the foreseeable future has put a smile back on Merseyside faces.
RTK understands that Salah has signed a two-year extension with the option of a third.
But after finding the net in only one of his last seven Liverpool appearances, however – and that came against now-relegated Southampton – Graham Potter knows his West Ham side are likely to come up against a man desperate not only to secure himself a first solo Golden Boot since 2018, but also to prove that his season is not grinding to a halt.
West Ham boss says Mo Salah’s Liverpool contract is ‘great for the Premier League’
In 17 games against West Ham, Salah has nearly as many goals [13] as he has wins [14].
“You see his goals and assists, how much he contributes in the most difficult area of the pitch. He’s contributing in a team who have won trophies,” Potter said during his pre-match press conference on Friday lunchtime.
“He’s a fantastic player, who’s always a threat in the game. You always have to be on your guard. Congratulations to him and Liverpool [on that new contract].
“It’s great for the Premier League, in terms of it’s another fantastic player who’s going to play over here and entertain.
“He’s an absolutely top player. It’s the hardest bit in the game to score and assist, and he’s done it on a regular occurrence. He’s a fantastic player.”
This, then, feels destined to be the toughest afternoon of Oliver Scarles’ young career thus far.
After easing the 19-year-old left-back into the rigours of first-team football, Potter is ready to throw off the armbands and push Scarles in at the deep end. Whether he sinks or swims, up against a winger with 27 goals for the current Premier League campaign, only time will tell.
Scarles has held his own during a run of five starts in six top-flight games. Potter, it seems, will resist the temptation to introduce the more experienced Emerson Palmieri or Aaron Cresswell with the manager keen to see how the youngster handles arguably the most fearsome wide forward in the game.
“He’s done really well,” Potter says of Scarles. “He’s a young player who has come through the academy, which is important for us. Great attitude. He is going to get better and better with the game time he has.
“He’s contributed to some good results.”
Graham Potter full of praise for Liverpool boss Arne Slot
Liverpool can potentially move to within one win of the Premier League title this weekend. Beat West Ham and then claim all three points at Leicester City on April 20th, and the trophy will be theres for only a second time.
Slot will be the favourite for the Manager of the Season award, then, as he prepares his mantelpiece for a swarm of silver.
“Everyone’s different but Arne [Slot] has seemed to have found it quite straightforward. He’s done a fantastic job, so congratulations to him,” Potter adds, the former Feyenoord boss on the verge of a place in the Premier League history books.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 31 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 72 | 30 | 42 | 73 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 31 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 56 | 26 | 30 | 62 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 31 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 51 | 37 | 14 | 57 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 31 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 54 | 37 | 17 | 53 |
“You have to adapt but I think if you’re competent and the club gives you support – which is what I think they’ve had there – then you’ve got a chance.
“They’ve been great. They lost their last game [against Fulham], but they won their previous four in the Premier League. They also got knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain, which is no disgrace at all because they’re an absolutely fantastic team.
“Liverpool have had a fantastic season, and big congratulations to Arne Slot.”
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