'Massively': Paul Merson says £45m Liverpool player could be a big problem for Arne Slot next season
26/04/2024 18:45
Liverpool are pressing ahead with their move for Arne Slot but Paul Merson believes the new manager will have some big decisions on his plate next season.
Slot has emerged as the frontrunner for the Liverpool job and rumours even suggest he could be appointed as the new manager this weekend.
For Liverpool fans and players, it will be a sigh of relief in a way to know who is going to be running the ship ahead of next season.
Of course, there’ll be some in the Liverpool squad who feel that a new manager could see their own place in the squad under threat.
And according to Paul Merson, Slot could have some big decisions to make, especially if the club decides to cash in on Mohammed Salah.
Paul Merson says £45m Liverpool forward could be a problem for Arne Slot
Speaking ahead of the game with West Ham this weekend for SportsKeeda, Merson has claimed that if Salah is sold, then having what he calls an injury prone Diogo Jota as the next best thing could be a problem for Slot.
“If Liverpool get in excess of £100m for Mo Salah from Saudi Arabia, I can’t see them turning it down. If he does, Diogo Jota would be their best finisher and he’s massively injury prone, so the new manager will have a handful of decisions to make when he joins the club,” Merson said.
Diogo Jota does have injury problems that should worry Liverpool
When he’s fit and firing, £45m signing Diogo Jota is one of the best forwards in the division, in terms of pure finishing.
However, Merson does make a good point here about his injury troubles.
Over the last few years, Jota has missed a lot of time through injury. Per Transfermarkt, Jota has missed more than 200 days with injury over the last three seasons.
| Season | Injury | Days Out |
| 23/24 | Knee collateral ligament tear | 51 |
| 23/24 | Muscle injury | 28 |
| 22/23 | Calf injury | 116 |
| 22/23 | Hamstring injury | 31 |
| 21/22 | Ankle injury | 14 |
If Salah does indeed leave, then Liverpool might have to splash out on new strikers.
With Darwin Nunez also struggling and people questioning him ahead of next season, there could be a real chance for Arne Slot to freshen up the front line.
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