Liverpool's Summer Transfers and the Mohamed Salah Replacement Dilemma
Liverpool’s summer business may have smashed records, but the shadow of Mohamed Salah still hangs over Anfield – and Stephen Warnock believes the club could pay for failing to sign a like-for-like successor on the right.
Fenway Sports Group sanctioned a huge outlay on Bradley Barcola, landing the Frenchman on the penultimate day of the window in a deal worth £123m (€140m, $163m), just short of a club-record fee. The expectation is clear: Barcola must help fill the enormous void left by Salah, whose goals and assists dragged Liverpool through countless tight afternoons and carried him to third on the club’s all-time scoring list.
There’s a catch, though. Barcola is at his most dangerous off the left. That’s an area of the pitch where Liverpool are already well stocked.
On the right, where Salah terrorised full-backs for years, there is no obvious heir.
Late moves for Ismaila Sarr went nowhere. Two bids for Yankuba Minteh were knocked back. The clock ran down, the window shut, and the right flank remained without a clear, long-term specialist.
For Warnock, that’s a gamble.
“Ultimately, yes, it could cost them,” he told TEAMtalk, in association with Gambler Media. He accepts that replacing Salah is almost an impossible task – “what Salah did was phenomenal” – but still cannot shake the sense that Liverpool left themselves short.
He pointed to the club’s strict valuation model to explain why they walked away from Sarr, but still raised an eyebrow at the timing and profile of the move.
“Liverpool will have a valuation on players who they are willing to reach, and I found it quite strange that they decided to go in for Ismaila Sarr so late in the transfer window, with his age and his price,” Warnock said. He can understand why they backed off, citing Crystal Palace’s stance and the player’s age, yet the broader issue remains.
The Minteh question lingers over all of this. At 22, seven years younger than Sarr and with a higher ceiling, the winger clearly intrigues Liverpool.
“Yankuba Minteh is an interesting one because you wonder whether they’d have really pushed for that move had he been fully fit,” Warnock noted.
What really baffles him is the lack of succession planning for a player as central as Salah.
“They have known for so long about Salah leaving, but they still haven’t found a replacement,” he said. “I always think you should be looking two or three seasons ahead; with injuries, dips in form, you’ve always got to be thinking about who is next in line.
“I just feel like Liverpool haven’t rectified that situation, and I find it absolutely incredible to be honest.”
Warnock can see Liverpool revisiting Minteh in January, though he accepts the winter market is unforgiving and form and fitness between now and then will dictate everything.
“I think they possibly will go back in for Minteh in January, but there might be someone else who pops up on the radar between now and then…”
Semenyo and Diomande: the ones that got away
Barcola’s arrival ended a near year-long pursuit of the former PSG forward, but he was not the original headline target. Liverpool had tracked Antoine Semenyo last January, only to watch Manchester City swoop in and close a £62.5m (€73m, $84.5m) deal. Earlier this summer, Yan Diomande also sat high on their list.
That double miss still puzzles Warnock.
“I found it really strange at the time that they didn’t buy Semenyo,” he said.
For him, the value was there even at an inflated fee.
“For the price he was at, and yes, it was inflated, but he’s a proven Premier League player, an absolute powerhouse who scores goals, reliable, durable – he just ticks every single box.
“I didn’t think he’d do what he’s done at Man City so quickly; I thought it would have taken him some time to settle in, but I think Liverpool really missed out on one there.”
The Minteh angle returns again. Warnock repeats that Liverpool could circle back, but warns that January offers only a tiny window of opportunity.
“I can see them going back in for Minteh, but it really depends on his form between now and January once he gets himself back fit, but it’s going to be very difficult as that is such a short window.”
On Diomande, Warnock is more cautious. Liverpool admired him, yet his World Cup performances left him questioning the £100m talk.
“Yan Diomande was one they also wanted, but having seen him at the World Cup, I’m not entirely sure he’d be the right fit for £100 million,” he said. “I think £50-60 million would have been a realistic value for him, but everyone works on potential now and thinks about what they might be capable of in 10 years’ time.”
While Liverpool debate profiles and price tags, Barcola has already become a talking point in his own right. Jamie Carragher’s 14-word tweet on the Frenchman went viral, sparking a wave of amusement among supporters and underlining the scrutiny that will follow every touch.
The numbers are huge, the expectations even bigger. Liverpool have bet heavily on versatility and potential. The question that will stalk this season is simple: without a true Salah successor on that right flank, have they bet on the right thing?
