Mohamed Salah to Liverpool: A Roma fan’s perspective
It looks like it’s only a matter of time before Mohamed Salah is announced as a Liverpool player, unless something mad happens, which you can never rule out with transfers when the Reds are involved!
However, given that most reliable reports suggest that a deal is close, I thought I’d speak to Roma fan John from Roma Press to get his thoughts on the Egyptian and his impending move to Anfield.
1. It looks like Mohamed Salah is about to leave Roma to join Liverpool, what were your initial thoughts when you heard this news?
I wasn’t shocked whatsoever. Roma have to make a big sale before June 30th and Salah was always one of the three or four candidates.
2. Salah seems to have developed a lot since he left Chelsea, what parts of his game have you seen during his time in Serie A?
He’s really become one of the most lethal forwards on the counter. We’ve seen him make teams pay time and time again for failing to properly defend him on the counter. I’ve also seen him drastically improve his work rate as he is often aiding the defence.
3. What type of player are Liverpool getting in Salah?
They’re getting an explosive, exciting talent. Salah’s game is very appealing to the eye so Liverpool fans should enjoy this.
4. It looks like Salah is being sold so that Roma can keep Radja Nainggolan. Are you happy with that choice that the club have seemingly made
If it was me, I personally would have sold Nainggolan given his age and his lifestyle, he’s one who isn’t shy about his love for the night life and smoking. However, Nainggolan is perhaps the only player currently at Roma who is considered world class, so I understand the club’s mentality in preferring to keep him.
5. Are there any parts of Salah’s game that you think he needs to improve?
While his goal tally is impressive, he can be extremely wasteful. Time and time again he was served a goal scoring opportunity on a silver platter and he failed to make the opposition pay. There are also times when he can be knocked off the ball or lose the ball too easily when a defender becomes physical with him. Given that he’ll be making the switch to England, this is the area, for me, of most concern.
6. Finally, it looks like the fee will be around the £35million mark. Who do you think is getting the better part of that deal?
I think both teams win. I do think that Salah is near or has reached the pinnacle of his ability and given that Roma paid roughly €25 million for him and were able to deploy him for two seasons, it’s certainly a nice return on investment. Meanwhile, Liverpool are getting a player who is already molded and ready to go.
I’d like to thank John for taking the time to speak to me. Make sure you follow @ASRomaPress on Twitter to keep up to date with everything to do with the Serie A side.