Two forwards are leaving Liverpool this summer and they have only scored one goal in that time. That said, all three of them are sure to be missed when they are not playing. Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have both moved on, while Mane’s replacement, Mohamed Salah, has been almost as prolific since his arrival. This year’s strike rate is identical to the numbers Mane and Firmino put up before they left Anfield. But Mo Salah is anything but mediocre.
Mo Salah has scored over one goal every five games since he was first picked up by then-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. At that time he was playing at Roma, where he remained for just one season before making his move to Merseyside. Whereas Mane, Firmino and Salah have put the ball in the back of the net in 8.3, 8.6 and 10.4 league games per season since leaving Roma, Salah has been a prolific performer since Liverpool’s move for him.
At the start of last season he had a much lower rate than his rivals, but now that he has established himself as one of the league’s main men, he has picked up where he left off. During the first week of this campaign, he scored five goals and provided two assists. Salah is now averaging more goals per game than Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres, who were the Premier League’s most prolific frontmen of the early 2000s.
The emergence of Mo Salah as a top star suggests that his move to Liverpool made a wise move for Liverpool. Maybe they did not get a title but they certainly got a new star.