red till i die!! » Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:57 pm wrote:maddock claims a deal for salah is close.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... ed-2958956?
anyone know much about him ? and most importantly will he walk in to the side ?
That second link on the page you supplied gives more insight
Mirror on line
Brendan Rodgers’ rebuilding project at Anfield has gone encouragingly well so far - defeat at Arsenal aside - and the Liverpool boss has identified FC Basel’s talented Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah as a January target to keep the momentum going.
But is he any good? Would he fit into to Rodgers' system at Liverpool?
Here’s Ross Dunbar with everything you need to know about the 21-year-old:
Salah has been on the radar of some English and German clubs for well over a year.
In fact, the option was on the table for the Egypt international to leave Switzerland over the summer, but Champions League football and the chance to add to his medal haul at Basel eventually convinced him to stay at the club.
Salah’s demand for Champions League football will be a crucial selling point for any of his admirers in January or next summer.
The sad events in the Port Said stadium riot in January 2012 forced the Egyptian Premier League into shutdown mode and after impressing for Egypt’s U23 side – in a friendly against Basel, funnily enough – he signed for the Swiss side in June 2012.
With little time for transition into Swiss football following the departure of Xherdan Shaqiri to Bayern Munich, Salah has learned the hard way. Without speaking anything but Arabic, he let his football do the talking.
Goals against Chelsea and Tottenham in the UEFA Europa League last season made others sit-up and take notice of the Egyptian; both clubs even sent scouts to St-Jakob’s Park to watch Salah in domestic action.
But this season, Salah has grown in self-confidence, stepping up to the plate in a lacklustre performance against Ludogorets Razgrad to send FC Basel into the Champions League group stages.
At Chelsea, in one of the club’s most memorable triumphs, Salah was excellent, linking with the midfield to keep possession in tight areas, but also demonstrating his class when in key areas of the park.
He’s the new... Franck Ribery (sort of)
Quite hard to compare - he's not necessarily a winger – but he has similar traits to Franck Ribery, on the opposite side of the pitch.
Strengths
Despite playing notably wider than most attacking forwards – those who aren’t wingers – he has the intelligence to find space, while playing in an inverted style on to his left-foot, and he is willing to come out wide to get the ball.
Salah is a very quick runner off the ball, but he’s yet to convert that extra yard of pace into his game when in possession.
But sharp decision-making and movement is key to the Egyptian’s overall game and Salah has superb composure in-front of goal.
He rarely does boring tap-ins either, finishing intricate moves with conviction and as seen against Chelsea, he's especially clinical when presented with a chance on his left-side.
Weaknesses
Salah himself considers his heading ability as his biggest weakness.
His talents are there for all to see, but he can go hiding at times, if his side aren’t dominating the match. That’s the nature of his style, though, leaving him isolated when not brought enough into the play.
How would he fit into the Liverpool team?
If Liverpool can guarantee Champions League football for the young Egyptian, then Anfield could be a perfect destination for him. An interchanging forward line with Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Mohamed Salah would make the Kop buzz with excitement.
The key thing, though, will be guaranteed football in Europe’s Premier club competition.
Interest is strong from Germany. Schalke 04 could do much worse than snap him up, but Borussia Monchengladbach – assuming the Foals secure fourth – could be an attractive destination.
Gladbach’s Swiss coach Lucien Favre has also been sniffing around FC Basel’s prime talents, including Valentin Stocker.
Did you know?
His coach Murat Yakin has compared Salah’s raw pace to that of Olympic sprinting champion Usain Bolt.
kidding
