A lot of eyebrows were raised back in 2016 when Liverpool announced the signing of Mohamed Salah from Roma.
The Egyptian had previously failed to impress in the Premier League, and a number of people questioned the Reds’ decision to bring him back to England despite his impressive record in Italy.
Salah was certainly not Liverpool’s only option that summer. The Reds had a plan B in case they didn’t get the Egyptian and that alternative was Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian had a stunning time at Leicester City and was linked with a move to almost every big Premier League side.
“Before signing for Manchester City, there was interest from Liverpool in me, but as soon as they took Mohamed Salah, it was finished,” said Mahrez in a conversation with Smail Bouabdellah on YouTube.
Mahrez moved to Manchester City for a staggering £60 million (BBC) a year later and he hasn’t quite had the individual success that Salah has had at Anfield since joining Liverpool.
That is not to say that Mahrez wouldn’t have been a success at Anfield. The Algerian was one of the best players in the Premier League a few years ago and he could well have been a huge hit at Liverpool.
Liverpool fans would certainly not have had many problems if their club picked Mahrez over Salah back in 2017. But they sure are glad they went for the Egyptian who has arguably been their best player over the last three years.
Here is how a few Liverpool fans reacted to Mahrez’s comments.
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