David James has slammed suggestions that Liverpool players would completely understand if the club gives him extremely large wages to keep him on Merseyside.
The Egypt international is out of contract at Liverpool in the summer of 2023 and although that’s still 18 months away, the clock is ticking for the Anfield club.
Salah reiterated his importance to the Reds by scoring the solitary goal in a 1-0 victory at home to Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa this evening.
In total, the former Chelsea and Roma winger, who turns 30 next year, has netted 21 goals in 22 outings across all competitions for Liverpool this season – and provided nine assists.
At the moment, Salah is earning around £200,000 per week – £20,000 less than Virgil van Dijk – and when James was told on Astro Sport that his teammates would accept that the 29-year-old is on a far higher salary than them, the former goalkeeper was simply not having it and argued for goal bonuses instead.
He said: “Ah rubbish. Absolute rubbish. Whatever pundits are saying that, they’re talking nonsense. Everyone expects to be treated the same. You appreciate Mo scores more goals, but then you say then if he’s doing more, give him bonuses to justify that more.”
Massive player
Liverpool find themselves in a massively uncomfortable position with regards to Salah’s contract, you have to argue.
Because although he is the club’s most important player and biggest asset by a million miles, propping up his salary too much could potentially lead to divisions within Jurgen Klopp’s squad, as the former goalkeeper pointed out this evening.
This is a balancing act for Liverpool, who must locate and identify a sweet spot between satisfying Salah’s salary demands without angering the rest of the squad.
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