Collymore tips Liverpool to replace Mohamed Salah without disruption

Liverpool remain confident they can move on successfully after Mohamed Salah’s eventual departure, with former striker Stan Collymore suggesting the club are well equipped to manage life after their long-serving forward.

While he expressed disappointment over aspects of the exit, he insisted Liverpool’s structure and history of renewal will allow them to identify and develop another attacking leader in due course.

Collymore backs Liverpool succession plan

The former Liverpool forward believes the club’s recruitment and internal standards will absorb the loss, arguing that elite sides are defined by continuity rather than dependence on individuals.

“It’s sad, but I think that it could have been dealt with by him better.

“If you look at the Andy Robertson video, it’s, ‘I’m leaving, I’m really grateful. It’s been an incredible nine years, love the club and I’ll always come back’.

“And I just think that Salah’s was a little, and I understand it, forwards are very much a different beast than a full-back. Full-backs are very much the Steady Eddie of a team and the dependables, and they very rarely get the headlines.

“Mo Salah’s in that kind of group of players where he’s got absolute belief in himself and his own ability, so that when he’s dropped, he takes it very, very personally. But still, nonetheless, when people say Mo Salah’s been extremely good for Liverpool, Liverpool have been extremely good for Mo Salah.”

Concerns over exit narrative

He continued: “Let’s not forget that he was at Roma and he was doing quite well. But I saw his early games for Chelsea and there was no indication he was going to go on and be the player that he became, so I was a bit disappointed with all the finger pointing six months ago.

“As a player, I don’t care who it is, is that if they’re not performing in training, and it won’t be just Arne Slot who’ll be deciding that, it’ll be all his staff that’ll be saying, ‘He’s not quite doing it in training, not quite doing it in games, needs to be on the bench’.

“But disappointing when any superstar hero moves on. But I think that the one thing, perhaps with Liverpool Football Club more than any football club, which is why they’re the most successful club in the country, is that no one player is bigger than the club.

“Liverpool Football Club will find someone who will take his place.”