Make no mistake, Mohamed Salah signing a new deal with Liverpool is great news for everyone involved in the club.
Despite negotiations being protracted, the speed at which a deal has been finalised following the unwanted exit of Sadio Mane is a relief for supporters who, while backing evolution, feared that the Reds' formidable forward line could be breaking up completely.
Jurgen Klopp still has a whole host of attacking talent at his disposal and has recently reinforced it with the capture of Benfica goal machine Darwin Nunez, but the bottom-line is that Salah has been Liverpool's primary source of goals for the past five years. The new deal hasn't come cheap, but when you're dealing with a player of the stock of the 30-year-old, that was always going to be the case.
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Boasting 156 goals in 254 appearances in all competitions and 47 assists in the Premier League alone, the Egyptian King has helped Liverpool end their 30-year wait for the league title, clinch a sixth European Cup, become world club champions and win both the FA Cup and League Cup. That's not to the mention the countless individual awards he has collected along the way, of which there are far too many to mention, but include both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and Football Writers' Player of the Year awards, twice.
Such achievements must surely make Salah one of Liverpool's finest players of all time but is he the greatest ever? If not, what does he need to do to earn himself such an accolade?
The title of GOAT (Greatest Of All Time, for the uninitiated) is subjective and is likely to represent different things to different supporters across the generational span of the fanbase, but some other names are likely to feature frequently. Homegrown Steven Gerrard is regarded by many to be the finest player ever to represent Liverpool, making a whopping 710 appearances for the Reds across 17 seasons.
They Huyton-born midfielder scored 185 goals in his time at Anfield and captained the club to their fifth European Cup, starting the comeback against AC Milan in 2005's 'Miracle of Istanbul' Champions League final. Renowned for his dominant midfield performances and brilliant goals, he is a true Liverpool legend and although he was never able to win the Premier League title, his two FA Cups, three League Cups, UEFA Cup and Super Cup triumphs still represent a healthy trophy haul.
But what about Kenny Dalglish? King Kenny, as he was coronated by the Kop, spent 13 years at Anfield and not only won the lot, including six league titles and three European Cups, but went onto become the club's player manager, winning a domestic league and cup double in 1986 before delivering two more league championships in his first spell as the Reds' manager. No wonder he was later knighted for his services to football.
Depending on your age, other names might come into the frame, such as Billy Liddell, Kevin Keegan, Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler or maybe even players who lit up Anfield without staying or too long, like Fernando Torres or Luis Suarez.
Where does Salah ranks against these lofty names? In terms of longevity, he still has some way to go to get close to the commitment of Dalglish or Gerrard and it seems unlikely that he could overhaul the former's phenomenal medal haul, but helping the Reds to deliver a couple more Premier League titles and another Champions League in a football landscape that includes such cash-rich clubs at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain would surely make Salah's achievements relatively comparable.
Working on the assumption that Salah's new deal will be his last at Anfield, he would have to be walking on water to match Ian Rush's club-record 346 goals for Liverpool, but adding another 100 to his tally in the next three seasons would put him behind only the Welshman and the late Roger Hunt in Liverpool's all-time list.
Whether Salah will ever be regarded as the Liverpool GOAT remains to be seen. Can he ever truly be regarded as the greatest player ever to wear the famous red shirt? Perhaps a Ballon d'Or triumph could help tip the balance in his favour.
Do you agree with Richard Garnett? Let us know in the comments section below.
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