‘We were close to losing Mohamed Salah for free’ – Liverpool chairman Tom Werner

Liverpool could have lost Mohamed Salah for nothing this summer, chairman Tom Werner revealed, highlighting just how close the club came to a major crisis.

The Egyptian is central to the Reds’ attack and contract talks with him were critical to Liverpool’s stability on and off the pitch.

Werner admitted Fenway Sports Group nearly gave up on securing the forward’s new deal as his contract ran down alongside Virgil van Dijk’s.

“We were delighted that the new contracts for Mo and Virgil were sorted. But you know what? If Richard had called and said, ‘The chasm is too big’, I would have respected that too,” Werner said.

The Reds are struggling in the Premier League, sitting eight points behind leaders Arsenal after 11 games, with seven losses in their last ten matches across all competitions.

Losing Salah and Van Dijk would have left the team dangerously exposed.

Werner praised sporting director Richard Hughes for his handling of negotiations.

“My impatience is balanced by his patience. I’d call him frequently and say, ‘Richard, how are things going with Mo Salah and his contract?’ and he would say, ‘Tom, it will all be good in the end.’”

He added Salah conducts business respectfully, executing his plans with precision, making negotiations smoother than expected.

The summer also saw the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, adding pressure on Liverpool’s spine. Retaining Salah and Van Dijk was crucial to preventing a far worse start to the season than their current eighth-place standing.

Werner concluded: “John, Mike and I try to find people who are excellent at their jobs and let them do their jobs. We don’t meddle, we just provide support and advice from our point of view. There’s a lot of trust.”