On Sunday afternoon, Liverpool winger Mohamed Saleh scored his 20th goal of the season in all competitions in a 4-0 win at Bournemouth. The win took the Reds back into the Champions League spots.
The fact that the Egyptian has been so prolific is even more extraordinary since he is not a central striker. However, he is highly effective from his wide role at creating and scoring goals.
Goals, goals and more goals
Salah’s strike on Sunday means he is the first Liverpool since season 2013/14 to score 20-plus goals in a season when both Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez got to the milestone.
When Reds boss Jurgen Klopp signed Salah for a fee of around £34million in the summer, I doubt not even the German thought the Egyptian striker would prove as prolific as he has been for the Reds.
Salah is certainly a player far removed from the one who struggled to make an impact at Chelsea earlier in his career. In the last few years, he seems to have hit his stride, both as a goalscorer and creator.
The 25-year-old has not only scored 20 times but also produced four assists for his teammates. He is a vital player in Liverpool’s attacking options.
Developing into a top class player
It is hard to classify a player as ‘world-class’. However, for me, world-class players are the likes Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are at the top of the footballing tree.
For me, Salah is not yet world-class. However, he is developing into a top player and at 25 years-old he is a player in the peak of his career. The Egyptian international may well develop into one of the world’s best in time.
His transformation from Chelsea flop to the Premier League’s top scorer in a few years has been nothing short of exceptional. Salah always had talent and showed it in flashes during his very short stint at Stamford Bridge, but more in his time playing for Basel, especially in Europe.
However, it is only in the last few seasons that the winger has delivered consistent performances. In Italy, he regained his confidence and developed his game, which have been the key to Salah’s performances this season.
Salah is becoming one of the standout players in the English top-flight. He is currently in contention for the golden boot, despite competition from some top strikers in Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku.
Top-four the main aim for this season
Salah stated in a recent interview that he hopes to win the Premier League title with Liverpool. Unfortunately, for the Egyptian, the current team is not good enough to win the title, even with the brilliant attacking options available to Reds boss Klopp.
While winning the title this season is unrealistic, making the top-four of the Premier League is a far more achievable aim. The Reds are fourth place and odds of 8/11 to finish in the Champions League spots this season.
For all the Reds attacking talent, their defence is far too vulnerable for a title challenge this season. That means the Reds attempting to finish as high in the table as possible.
I hate to say this, but Liverpool are simply scintillating to watch at times. Mohamed Salah is one of the major reasons for the Reds being so exciting to watch.
The Egyptian winger has made a fantastic start to his Liverpool career. If he continues to produce should good displays then the Reds will be closer to winning the title or Salah will move on to win the big trophies.
For now, though, Liverpool fans get to enjoy watching the winger combine brilliantly with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane and it truly is a sight to behold.
Is Mohamed Salah a contender for the Premier League Golden Boot?
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