Klopp told he's made "enormous" choice that will impact Liverpool's season

13 September 2023 , 11:52

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Klopp told he's made "enormous" choice that will impact Liverpool's season

Liverpool's decision to keep hold of Mohamed Salah has been hailed as an "enormous" call by Chris Sutton, who has tipped them to challenge Manchester City.

The Reds saw mammoth bids come in from Saudi Arabia and could've cashed in on a world-record fee had they wanted to profit from the Egyptian, who only signed a new deal last summer. They chose to retain Salah however after a summer of huge upheaval.

Jurgen Klopp saw a host of his midfield stalwarts depart, including captain Jordan Henderson. Despite that they've picked up ten points from 12 to begin the season with Salah netting twice as they look to recover from a below par season last time out.

Sutton told The Monday Night Club : “I think this is an enormous season for Liverpool, holding onto [Mohamed] Salah . There was all the talk about him going to Saudi [Arabia], which was absolutely massive. I’m really pleased he’s stayed from Liverpool’s perspective because I do think they are the team to challenge. They’re off to an absolute flyer."

Salah scored in Liverpool's 3-0 win over Aston Villa, their final game before the international break. Talk of the Egyptian's departure was gathering volume with Al Ittihad seeing a £150m bid rejected, but Klopp was calm about the situation.

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The German said: "He played a top game. Mo had to work super hard and he did. I've never had, and I don't have now, doubts about his future, his commitment to this club. Believe me, you can't imagine how much fuss the whole world makes and how calm we are with it. He's our player, he wants to play here and that's it."

Mohamed Salah remains Liverpool's most potent weapon (Paul Currie/Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock)

Salah forms part of a lethal forward line for the Reds, who do not lack for options. Darwin Nunez has already proved to be a match winner in a success at Newcastle with Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo also major threats in the final third.

The Egyptian failed to score on the opening weekend of a Premier League season for the first time when the Reds drew against Chelsea. Since then though they've been firing on all cylinders as they eye a first top flight success in four seasons.

Manchester City have dominated the Premier League in recent years and recently complete a hat-trick of triumphs. Liverpool have been their closest challengers, running them close in 2019 and 2022. The Reds though do have the unenviable task of trying to balance domestic ambitions with their Europa League campaign.

Samuel Meade