Forget Salah: Liverpool need to sort unsung hero’s future before anything else – Our View

Follow us on Google Discover

Everything is going brilliantly at Liverpool right now.

They’re unbeaten in the league, they’re all-but-through in their Champions League group, they’ve just spanked their biggest rivals 5-0 and they have arguably the best player in world football right now.

However, there are a couple of issues bubbling under the surface that need discussing.

Perhaps the most obvious problem right now is Mohamed Salah’s contract. The 29-year-old’s deal is up next summer and the Reds really need to sort out his future.

However, in our view, there is a slightly more pressing matter that needs tending to in the near future.

Indeed, the Anfield outfit’s Sporting Director, Michael Edwards’ contract is up at the end of the season, and there are rumours that he could be departing the Merseyside club this summer.

There’s been so much talk of the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Virgil van Dijk, Salah and Sadio Mane playing key roles in the Reds’ success in recent years, but Edwards has been just as important while also remaining something of an unsung hero.

Just look at the business he’s done in recent years. He’s built a Champions League winning squad while actually managing to keep the Reds’ net spend at a minimum.

Liverpool rarely sign any flops these days and when they sell a player they always manage to receive unbelievable fees, even for their fringe players.

Look at the likes of Rhian Brewster, Jordon Ibe and Dominic Solanke. Three players who are now plying their trade in the Championship, Liverpool somehow managed to get eight-figure fees for each of those players, while selling Philippe Coutinho for £143m is looking more and more like daylight robbery with each passing season.

As much as we hate to say it, modern football is as much about the business dealings off the pitch as it is the tactics that are utilised on the pitch and Edwards is up there with the best when it comes to negotiating deals.

Yes, Salah’s deal is important, but if the reports of the Egyptian wanting £400,000-a-week are true, keeping Edwards at the club will be vitally important as he’s proven time and time again that he’s able to broker deals that would allow Liverpool to finance such huge contracts.

Everyone is focused on Salah’s future, and rightfully so, but behind the scenes at Anfield, the Reds should be doing all they can to make sure Edwards doesn’t leave anytime soon.