LONDON: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah says he is not asking for “crazy stuff” in any new contract he signs with the Premier League club but wants the deal to reflect his huge contribution at Anfield.
The Egypt international has fewer than 18 months remaining on his current deal and has reiterated whether he stays or goes remains in the hands of Liverpool.
Reports have suggested that Salah, who has won the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool, is looking for a weekly salary of more than £300,000 ($408,000).
That would smash the Reds’ wage structure and would represent a significant policy change by the club, with the owners reluctant to hand out lucrative contracts to players once they reach 30, which Salah does in June.
Salah, who has scored 111 goals in 165 Premier League matches for Liverpool, and is on track for a third Golden Boot in five years, said he wanted to be appreciated.
“I want to stay, but it’s not in my hands. It’s in their hands. They know what I want. I’m not asking for crazy stuff,” Salah told GQ magazine.
“The thing is when you ask for something and they show you they can give you something (they should) because they appreciate what you did for the club.
“I’ve been here for my fifth year now. I know the club very well. I love the fans. The fans love me. But with the administration, they have (been) told the situation. It’s in their hands.”
Salah, currently playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, has made the three-man shortlist, along with Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi, for FIFA’s best men’s player of 2021.
He finished seventh in the race for last year’s Ballon d’Or, but the Egyptian’s ambition is to be the best in the world.
“I can’t really lie and say honestly I didn’t think about it,” he said. “No, I think about it. I want to be the best player in the world.
“But I will have a good life even if I don’t win. My life is OK, everything is fine.”
Salah says he is not asking for ‘crazy stuff’ in new Liverpool deal
https://arab.news/bhz4q
Salah says he is not asking for ‘crazy stuff’ in new Liverpool deal
- The Egypt international has fewer than 18 months remaining on his current deal
- Reports have suggested that Salah is looking for a weekly salary of more than $408,000
Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder in rout of Cavaliers
- Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point haul led the way, with center Chet Holmgren providing offensive support with 28 points and Luguentz Dort adding 18 points
Los Angeles: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to winning ways with a 136-104 pummeling of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Two days after suffering an upset defeat by Miami on Saturday, the NBA champions ensured there would be no repeat against Cleveland as the league marked the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday with a packed slate of fixtures.
Apart from a brief spell at the start of the first quarter, Oklahoma City led throughout, building up a double-digit lead before accelerating away with a 45-point fourth quarter.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point haul led the way, with center Chet Holmgren providing offensive support with 28 points and Luguentz Dort adding 18 points.
Isaiah Joe chipped in with 16 points from the bench while Aaron Wiggins finished with 12 as five Thunder players recorded double figures en route to a victory that sees Oklahoma City improve to 36-8 at the top of the Western Conference.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 19 points while four Cavs players — Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson and De’Andre Hunter — all finished with 16 points apiece.
In Monday’s other early game, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 21 points helped the Milwaukee Bucks hold off a late rally in a 112-110 road win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Milwaukee opened a 23-point lead midway through the third quarter but a stubborn Atlanta line-up chipped away at that advantage and grabbed a slender one-point lead with just over a minute remaining before the Bucks reasserted themselves to dig out victory.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta’s scoring with 32 points off the bench including seven three-pointers, with Jalen Johnson finishing with 28 points for the home side.
