Edwards plots Liverpool move for “insane” £43m Salah successor

In January, Jurgen Klopp shocked the footballing world with the announcement that he would step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the 2023/24 season, 21 months after signing an extension that would keep him at Anfield until 2026.

But Klopp ran out of energy, and when the larger-than-life German reveals that his batteries have been depleted, you know there’s more than a modicum of truth in the revelation: he meant it; it was time to leave.

It’s probably fair to say that there was more than a measure of anxiety coursing through Merseyside as Liverpool prepared for the unknown, but FSG have acted with real purpose, dissembling Anfield and restructuring it in a way that speaks of further success down the line.

Arne Slot has been announced as Klopp’s successor but it is the duo of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes who will prove decisive in recruitment, and given that one of Europe’s hottest prospects is being pursued, the club seems to be in safe hands.

Liverpool fighting for elite talent

According to Dutch outlet Eindhovens Dagblad, Liverpool are hoping to sign PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko this summer, who has been valued at £43m by the Dutch Eredivisie champions.

The 21-year-old is also attracting attention from German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, though Liverpool can find early positivity in the latter’s reluctance to pay such a sum.

Liverpool have been tracking Bakayoko for over a year and Slot will know him well following his tenure with Feyenoord, so this is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Why Johan Bakayoko is attracting interest

Journalist Ben Mattinson has gushed over Bakayoko’s “insane” ability this season, with the right-sided forward enjoying an incredible season after cutting his teeth with PSV’s first team last year, scoring five goals and adding as many assists.

Scoring 14 goals and adding 14 assists in all competitions this season, Bakayoko has been an imperious figure down the right channel for PSV, and while his direct contributions speak of exciting attacking potential in a division such as the Premier League, it’s the underlying numbers that have arrested Edwards’ attention.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, the Belgium international has complemented his 12-goal, nine-assist return in the Dutch Eredivisie this term with 2.9 shots and 2.1 assists per game, ensuring that his output is reflected through his success.

Moreover, an 87% pass completion rate highlights his elite technical skill and crispness, with 3.4 ball recoveries, 2.8 dribbles and 4.7 successful duels per game wrapping up an illustration of high-level athleticism that makes him a factory-crafted fit for the rigours of English football.

Bakayoko is in the maiden phase of a promising career but he has demonstrated enough to suggest that he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level, perhaps even proving to be the dream successor for Mohamed Salah, whose future at Anfield is uncertain.

How Johan Bakayoko could fit in at Liverpool

The Saudi Pro League’s pursuit of Salah risks entering the realm of monotony, with The Telegraph revealing that interest in bringing the Egyptian to the Gulf might now be cooled until 2025 when his contract on Merseyside will reach its conclusion.

But considering that by that point Salah will have reached his 33rd birthday, it might not be the worst decision in the world for FSG to allow their £350k-per-week star to enter the twilight phase of his glittering career elsewhere, especially if Liverpool are forearmed with Bakayoko, who will have enjoyed an invaluable year as Salah’s understudy.

Bakayoko is an immense talent but it’s unclear at this stage if he will ever develop into a free-scoring phenomenon like his prospective predecessor; quite simply, that just might not be his area of expertise, and that’s perfectly okay.

Liverpool are evolving and it might prove an imprudent move to shoehorn a player into Salah’s position on the right flank, especially given Slot will now look to inculcate his own philosophy into the team.

Instead, Bakayoko could bring his own, all-encompassing attacking game to ensure that Liverpool enjoy a new chapter with a new star down the right channel, different but deadly.

Salah ranks among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 1% for assists and touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 20% for shot-creating actions per 90, but he also ranks among only the top 51% for progressive carries and the top 78% for successful take-ons per 90.

As he’s aged, the one-time Chelsea starlet has refined his game to fit his slowly but inexorably declining athleticism, which is still elite but finds him more effective in shifting into the danger area, collecting and unleashing.

The spark that Bakayoko would offer Anfield could work wonders in offering something different, with his speed and dribbling prowess seeing the young Belgian rank among the top 6% of positional peers across divisions similar to the Eredivisie over the past year for touches in the attacking penalty area but, crucially, among the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90.

His fleet-footed style has led Bakayoko to be hailed for his “electric” qualities by talent scout Jacek Kulig, accurately portraying a style of play that appears perfect for Slot’s high-energy, fast-pressing brand of football.

Who knows, after spending a season absorbing the fruits of Salah’s labour, Bakayoko could grow into his skin without the heavy weight of succeeding one of the Premier League’s all-time forwards instantly.

It’s a move that has to be made this summer…