With only a year left on his current contract, Liverpool should plan for life after Mohamed Salah.
Both the player and the club expect the Egyptian star to be at Anfield next season. Still, Salah, who turns 32 in June, will be leaving the club sooner rather than later and Liverpool will have contingencies to consider.
Here WhoScored.com has picked six right wingers the Reds could be targeting as Salah’s successor on Merseyside.
Jarrod Bowen – West Ham
Jürgen Klopp has already spoken highly of Jarrod Bowen, although his opinion will no longer have much significance later on as the German leaves at the end of the season.
However, Bowen put in another great performance in West Ham’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool last weekend.
The England international scored one goal and set up another in the stalemate, earning him a WhoScored.com rating of 8.43.
The 27-year-old is also a versatile player and the ability to play well through the middle would certainly appeal to new head coach Arne Slot.
With 16 goals and six assists, he has proven Premier League experience which would help the Dutchman settle in at Anfield.
He is also a potential key Euro 2024 player for England, although this could potentially increase his transfer fee.
Mohammed Kudus – West Ham
Bowen isn’t the only West Ham attacker Liverpool should keep an eye on this summer.
Mohammed Kudus only moved to east London from Ajax last year but has quickly established himself as a key player for the Hammers. And his form at the London Stadium certainly caught the eye.
West Ham could find it difficult to retain the 23-year-old’s services in the off-season, particularly if Kudus is seen as the ideal long-term successor to Mohamed Salah.
The Ghanaian star has completed more dribbles (103) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, making him a more direct attacking threat than the Egyptian winger.
Kudus is also capable of taking on a number of roles that could suit the Merseyside team.
Johan Bakayoko – PSV
However, Arne Slot could decide to think a little closer to home in the potential search for a right winger, or at least push Michael Edwards to do so.
In this case, Johan Bakayoko would meet the right requirements for a possible search for Salah’s successor.
The 21-year-old has been a revelation for PSV this season, who were elected new champions. He scored eleven goals and provided nine assists. A WhoScored.com rating of 7.74 is third best in the Eredivisie.
Like Kudus, Bakayoko is a more direct attacking threat than Salah, and he also has a good end result to his game when he beats a man.
The Belgian ranks second in the top flight of Dutch football for dribbles (87) and fourth for key passes (63).
Although his game still needs to be refined, the future looks bright for Bakayoko as he shows the same desire as Salah to cut in from the right and shoot on goal.
Yankuba Minteh – Feyenoord, on loan from Newcastle
Yankuba Minteh is very familiar with Arne Slot’s demands and would prove to be something of a wildcard option for Liverpool.
The 19-year-old has excelled for Feyenoord this season, scoring nine goals and providing five assists despite only playing 1365 league minutes for the Dutch side.
Crucially, Minteh also opts to cut in from the right to score, with six of his nine goals coming with his left foot.
Additionally, Minteh is difficult to stop when he cuts inside.
With a total of 55 dribbles, he is sixth in the Eredivisie despite a lack of regular minutes, while the Gambia international works tirelessly even without the ball, as evidenced by an average of 2.8 tackles per 90.
One sticking point, however, will be that Minteh is currently on loan from Newcastle and they are keen to retain his services given his good form this season.
Bryan Mbeumo – Brentford
It is no coincidence that Brentford’s form improved when Bryan Mbeumo returned to fitness.
Although there has been much talk about Ivan Toney’s return from suspension, Mbeumo has emerged as the Bees’ key striker.
The Cameroon international was sidelined for a long period of time due to injury and it is no coincidence that Brentford’s performances plummeted in his absence.
Mbeumo has scored eight goals and provided five assists for Thomas Frank’s side this season, earning him a better WhoScored.com rating (7.03) than any other player from the west London side.
Toney is likely to dominate the gossip columns this summer but it is his Brentford teammate who deserves the fanfare.
Matias Soule – Frosinone, on loan from Juventus
While managerial uncertainty in Turin could impact whether Juventus can cash in on Matias Soule this summer, the Argentine has been exceptional during his loan spell at Frosinone.
The 21-year-old has scored 11 goals and provided an additional three assists for the relegation-threatened Italian team, and his performances under Eusebio Di Francesco have not gone unnoticed.
The 21-year-old has completed more dribbles (90) than any other player in Italy’s top flight this season and, like so many other right wingers, is keen to dribble inside when he gets the ball and open up space create that are possible to be exploited by marauding full-backs.
Of course, if Max Allegri is sacked at the end of the season, the new man could look to bring in Soule, but Liverpool and others should keep an eye on him.
