Salah Selfish and now Greedy too?
My starting point for this discussion is that yep the capitalist system is wrong and yep there is far too much money sloshing around in football, but that neither of those things are going to change any time soon. So, I am going to deal with the reality, rather than some idyllic, utopian situation in which the fans are at the centre of the game and everyone else involved is there purely for their entertainment😁.
Obviously, no one knows the details of what Salah is asking for but it’s fair to assume he will be looking for a substantial pay rise for what will probably be his last big contract. The question really is should he gat a big rise that puts him well above the current biggest earners at the club, or should the club put their foot down and run the risk of losing one of the best players in the World?
People argue if he gets a large pay rise it will destabilise the other players and they will demand bigger pay packets for themselves which will ultimately threaten the finances of the club. That is possible but it’s not like there isn’t vast differences already in the wages paid across the squad and it hasn’t tipped anyone over the edge just yet. This makes interesting reading. Just look at Jones on £7500 a week compared to Thiago on £200.000:
https://www.si.com/soccer/liverpool/articles/reported-liverpool-player-salaries-2021-22-season
I find it odd that, whenever there is a reported contract negotiation, many fans automatically take the side of the owners, as if they somehow represent the club and fans, when, in reality, they represent no one but themselves. That is not a slur on FSG ,who I think have been excellent for LFC, but I think that is only because their aims coincide with that of the club more often than not and not because they are especially lovely people, with a genuine concern for the club and those that follow the club.
FSG has always been at the forefront of the calls for a wage cap for players, though I don’t hear them calling for a cap on Director’s salaries, dividends or share values. In other words, the people who would benefit most from a wage cap would be the owners. In an entertainment sector, within a capitalist system, they wouldn’t be able to give the savings back to the fans in cheaper ticket prices. Even if that was an option, they still wouldn’t because that would affect the value of the club, which is where their real profits lie, even if they haven’t yet decided to cash them in.
Of course, there is the moral argument that players wages help to drive the greed that will ultimately destroy the bountiful beautiful game and FSG is trying to prevent that from happening by making a stand. The trouble is when it suits them they are quite happy to “spaff ” money up the wall as this extract from the Echo shows: “Liverpool have paid out nearly £22million in agents’ fees over the last 12 months. Between February 2020 and 2021, the Reds handed over £21.65m to intermediaries, which accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the entire Premier League sum. Only Manchester United, Man City and Chelsea spent more money on agents in that same period”. Hmm not easy for them to take the moral high ground there then, either.
Then, there is the question whether Salah is actually worth spending the extra money on and there I would say yes (cos it’s not my money). He is an exceptional player and I am not even certain he has fully reached his peak yet either and I’d hate to see him do that at PSG or Real Madrid or (shiver) City or Chelsea. What are players like Messi Ronaldo or Neymar getting? And yes, he is on that level if not actually exceeding them now. I also firmly believe the players should get the biggest share of the money in the game as, if it wasn’t for them, there wouldn’t even be a game worth watching.
Getting back to Salah though. He is rarely injured and performs at a consistently high level game after game. I accept the team would survive his departure and possibly even prosper in time, but I really think, to take him out of the side at the moment would leave a hole that would be difficult and very costly to fill.
In the end, I think and hope FSG will realise that rules are there only “for the guidance of wisemen but the obedience of fools” and make an exception for Salah with a good contract offer that acknowledges his value to the team. In turn, I think and hope Salah will realise he has the opportunity to seal a very special place in the history of the club and the hearts of supporters which you just cannot put a price on.
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