The Mohamed Salah replacement atLiverpool is yet to arrive, as the 34-year-old Egyptian joins Trabzonspor, a club in Turkey. As of now, Liverpool are chasing Bradley Barcola, but even his signing is by no means ensured.
Even if Barcola signs for Liverpool, he is not going to be a direct Mohamed Salah replacement. Salah is a right-winger, while Barcola plays on the left. As of now, Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa are the only two players that can play on the right side of the pitch.
Mohamed Salah Replacement is a Must For Liverpool
The Reds are not going to easily replace the man who has scored around 260 goals for them during the past decade. However, the fact that there is not a single right-winger who is on their radar has increased the worry of the supporters.
As of now, it seems that Ngumoha will be the Liverpool right-winger against Newcastle United in their first Premier League match against Newcastle United on August 23. Ngumoha is a teenager only and has the experience of playing in 30 matches for the club so far.
Chiesa can also play on the right, but his performance for the club has been nothing to write home about. Chiesa has scored only five goals in his 50 appearances for Liverpool, which is hardly the kind of return the Reds expected when they signed the 28-year-old Italian.
Liverpool have a plethora of players who can play on the left. Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz have played on the left for them. Ngumoha is more comfortable playing on the left flank, and Barcola, their next target, is also a left-winger only.
In such a scenario, it is imperative that Liverpool get a direct Mohamed Salah replacement in order to take care of the lopsidedness that is obvious in their squad. Unless a proper right-sided player is added to Liverpool’s attack, it is going to be difficult for them to have that edge in it.
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Andoni Iraola Will Find it Tough in His Debut Season at the Club Without Proper Reinforcements
Iraola might have to suffer because of the lack of options for playing as centre-backs as well. In addition to that, the lack of a proper right-winger might compound his worries.
Iraola did well at AFC Bournemouth, but the pressure and expectation at Liverpool will be of a different sort altogether.
The 44-year-old Spaniard will need a proper Liverpool right-winger in place before he embarks on his journey as a manager in a couple of weeks.
However, if reports are to be believed, he will have to do without a specialist right-winger before January at least, as the current transfer window is unlikely to yield them a Mohamed Salah replacement.
The Reds will play in the UEFA Champions League as well, which means that they will need multiple options in every position. Their recruitment policy has been questionable, and it is not going to help that they might have to do without a genuine right-sided attacking player.
Your reference to Chiesa is misinformed. His goal contributions per minute is one of the tops in the Premiere League. That being said, they still don’t appear to trust him, and he could leave. In either case, they still need help on the right.