Jarrod Bowen, Johan Bakayoko, and Arne Slot wildcard – potential Mohamed Salah replacements for Liverpool

03/05/2024 17:27

With just a year left to run on his current deal, Liverpool should be planning for life beyond Mohamed Salah.

Both player and club expect the Egypt star to be at Anfield next season but even so, Salah, who turns 32 years old in June, will leave sooner rather than later and Liverpool need to make contingencies.

Here, WhoScored.com have picked out six right wingers the Reds could target to succeed Salah on Merseyside.

Jarrod Bowen – West Ham

Jurgen Klopp has previously spoken highly of Jarrod Bowen, though his opinion won’t mean much further down the line with the German departing at the end of the season.

Nevertheless, Bowen gave a great account of himself once more in West Ham’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool last weekend.

The England international scored one and assisted another in the stalemate, returning a WhoScored.com rating of 8.43 in the process.

The 27-year-old is a versatile operator, too, and an ability to play out wide of through the middle would certainly appeal to incoming head coach Arne Slot.

With 16 goals and six assists to his name, there is proven Premier League pedigree that would help the Dutchman settle in at Anfield.

He is a potential Euro 2024 impact player for England too, although that could potentially increase his transfer fee.

Mohammed Kudus – West Ham

Bowen isn’t the only West Ham attacker that Liverpool should be eyeing up this summer.

Mohammed Kudus only moved to east London from Ajax last year but has quickly established himself as a key man for the Hammers. And his form at the London Stadium have certainly caught the eye.

West Ham may find it difficult to retain the 23-year-old’s services in the off-season especially if Kudus is viewed as the ideal long-term successor for Mohamed Salah.

The Ghana star has completed more dribbles (103) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, so is a more direct attacking threat than the Egyptian wideman.

Kudus is also able to play in a number of roles that the Merseyside outfit may find appealing.

Johan Bakayoko – PSV

Arne Slot, though, may elect to look a little closer to home in a potential pursuit of a right winger, or at least press Michael Edwards to do so.

In this instance, Johan Bakayoko would tick the right boxes in a potential quest to land Salah’s successor.

The 21-year-old has been a revelation for champions-elect PSV this season, scoring 11 and providing nine assists. A WhoScored.com rating of 7.74 is the third best in the Eredivisie.

Like Kudus, Bakayoko is a more direct attacking threat than Salah, and he also has a fine end product to his game when he does beat a man.

The Belgian ranks second for dribbles (87) and fourth for key passes (63) in the top tier of Dutch football.

While his game does need refinement, the future is bright for Bakayoko, who shows the same desire as Salah to cut in from the right and go for goal.

Yankuba Minteh – Feyenoord, on loan from Newcastle

Well versed in Arne Slot’s demands, Yankuba Minteh would prove a bit of a wildcard option for Liverpool.

The 19-year-old has excelled for Feyenoord this season, having scored nine and provided five assists despite registering just 1365 minutes of league action for the Dutch side.

Crucial, too, is that Minteh elects to cut in from the right to go for goal, with six of his nine goals coming with his left foot.

In addition, when he does cut inside, Minteh is difficult to stop.

A total of 55 dribbles ranks sixth in the Eredivisie, despite a lack of regular minutes, while the Gambia international works tirelessly off the ball, too, as evidenced by an average of 2.8 tackles per 90.

A sticking point, though, will be that Minteh is currently on loan from Newcastle and they’ll be keen to retain his services given his good form this season.

Bryan Mbeumo – Brentford

It’s no coincidence that Brentford’s form improved once Bryan Mbeumo returned to fitness.

While much was made about Ivan Toney‘s return to action following his ban, Mbeumo has proven to be the Bees’ most important forward.

The Cameroon international sat out a substantial spell due to injury and it’s no coincidence that Brentford’s performances nosedived in his absence.

Mbeumo has scored eight times and provided five assists for Thomas Frank‘s side this season, and that has seen him garner a better WhoScored.com rating (7.03) than any other player for the west London side.

Toney is likely to dominate the gossip columns this summer but it’s his Brentford teammate who deserves the fanfare.

Matias Soule – Frosinone, on loan from Juventus

While managerial uncertainty in Turin may impact whether Juventus cash in on Matias Soule this summer, the Argentine has been exceptional during his loan stint with Frosinone.

The 21-year-old has scored 11 times and laid on an additional three assists for the relegation threatened Italian outfit and his performances under Eusebio Di Francesco haven’t gone unnoticed.

The 21-year-old has completed more dribbles (90) than any other player in Italy’s top tier this term and, like so many other right wingers, is keen to cut inside when he gets on the ball, thus opening up space that can be exploted by marauding full-backs.

Of course, if Max Allegri is dismissed at the end of the season, the new man may well seek to utilise Soule but he’s one that Liverpool, among others, should be keeping tabs on.