Liverpool identify ‘new candidate’ to replace Salah after ‘strop’ as Reds make decision on ‘accepting offer’ | OneFootball

Liverpool have identified Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon as the player they want to replace Mohamed Salah at Anfield, according to reports.

After making a perfect start to the season with five wins from five Premier League matches, the Reds have been struggling in recent weeks and have slipped from first to seventh in the table.

Arsenal were five points adrift of Liverpool four games ago but the Reds have since lost all four games with the Gunners now seven points clear of Arne Slot’s side.

Liverpool lost 3-2 to Brentford on Saturday with Salah scoring their second goal as Slot’s side slumped to their fifth defeat in their last six matches in all competitions.

The Egptian’s performances, as well as many of his team-mates, have been underwhelming this term with Salah contributing three goals and two assists in nine Premier League starts.

After being dropped to the bench by Slot for their 5-1 midweek Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Daily Mail reporter Lewis Steele said that Salah ‘looked in a strop’ and went straight down the tunnel at full-time.

Another report last week claimed that Liverpool have now made a decision on ‘accepting a Salah offer’ in the summer transfer window after his displays this season.

It was claimed that there have been ‘whispers that he could be coming to the end of his time at Anfield earlier than first thought, including potentially as early as the January window’ but that Liverpool are ‘not planning to cash in on Salah’ in the winter.

The report added: ‘Sources say that Salah himself is likely to have the biggest say on his Liverpool future, due to his status around Anfield. The winger has so much credit in the bank with the Reds that he can effectively decide how long he stays with the club.

‘There was a lot of discussion towards the end of last season around whether Salah would be leaving Liverpool, before he eventually penned a new deal. Next summer, if he decides that he wants to pursue a new challenge, then Arne Slot’s side are unlikely to stand in his way and force him to stay.’

And now Spanish website Fichajes insists that Liverpool are keen to sign Gordon as Salah’s heir with the Reds ‘planning moves for January or the next summer transfer window to ensure an orderly transition’.

Gordon is ‘a high-level option to bolster the English side’s attack’ and a ‘new candidate’ to replace Salah with the Spanish outlet’s ‘sources’ claiming that ‘analysts and scouts from the Merseyside club recently returned to Tyneside to observe him in action’.

The report adds: ‘Liverpool faces a crucial juncture: Mohamed Salah has been the team’s healer for multiple seasons, but his contract and future are a source of speculation. Meanwhile, the club’s board knows they can’t wait indefinitely and is already considering attacking alternatives. Anthony Gordon represents one of the most ambitious options to fill that space when Salah leaves the Merseyside elite.

‘Gordon’s profile fits Liverpool’s philosophy: speed, balance, youth. However, replacing the Egyptian player will be a high-risk and expensive transaction, which is why Liverpool is working ahead of schedule to gain an advantage in the bidding process.’

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Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has faith that Salah will rediscover his form sooner or later with the Liverpool forward “going through a bad time”.

Shearer said: “I think the biggest situation Arne Slot has to handle is getting them back to winning ways in the league.

“When you are not playing well, as he (Salah) hasn’t been and he has not been been scoring goals and Liverpool have not been getting the results, a manager has every right, no matter how how big you are, to leave you out, and if he leaves you out of the team they they get a really impressive performance and result he has a decision decision to make.

“He is going through a bad time. He is a quality player. His time will come again, no doubt about it.

“Good players are not down for long. It’s how you get through that, and I’m sure Salah will, he is too good not to.”