Lisbon (AFP)
The German coach of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, seemed “happy” with the progress of negotiations with the Egyptian striker, Mohamed Salah, to renew his contract, according to what he said Tuesday on the eve of the Champions League quarter-final first leg, in a confrontation that Moroccan star Adel Taarabt does not fear.
And British media reports at the weekend indicated that Salah, who is linked with the “reds” until 2023, is close to reaching an agreement on a new contract that will keep him at “Anfield” until the end of his football career.
Asked about the 29-year-old striker’s contract, Klopp said Monday in his press conference from Lisbon: “I’m happy about that because there is nothing new to say. This is a good thing. The parties involved are talking to each other and that’s all I need.”
Since his arrival at Anfield in the summer of 2017, from Rome, Italy, Salah has imposed himself as one of the best stars in the English Premier League and was crowned top scorer in the first season (32 goals), and then in the next, he participated with his Senegalese colleague Sadio Mane and former Arsenal scorer Pierre Emeric Aubameyang. 22, a major contributor to leading the “Reds” to their first league title since 1990 (the 2019-2020 season), and to winning the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the European Super Cup “2019”, in addition to the League Cup this season.
Al-Masry continues his brilliance this season, leading the scorer with twenty goals so far, in front of his Portuguese colleague Diego Jota and the South Korean striker for Tottenham Son Heung-min (14).
After the disappointment of losing the final of the African Nations Cup against his colleague Mane and the Senegalese team, and then the end of the dream of qualifying for the Qatar World Cup 2022 at the hands of the same team, Yemeni Salah Al-Nafs to compensate by contributing to the leadership of Liverpool to a historic quartet, as he is only behind in the league by a point behind Manchester City , who will be his opponent next Saturday in the semi-finals of the local cup competition as well.
Now, Benfica stands between Liverpool and the desire to go to the end in the Champions League, and will try to repeat what he achieved in the group stage when he knocked out Barcelona, and then in the final price when he overthrew Ajax Amsterdam.
It is true that the Portuguese team is far from regaining the glory of the early sixties when it won the continental title twice in a row in 1961 and 1962, but its Moroccan winger Taarabt is completely confident in his team’s ability to surprise Liverpool.
“Of course we have a chance,” said the Moroccan, who played seven seasons in the Premier League with Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers and Fulham. We are in the quarter-finals. We respect Liverpool as a team but we are not afraid of them. We know how much talent they have.
Benfica is third in the local league standings, led by interim coach Nelson Verissimo, who succeeded Jorge Jesus, who was sacked in December.
Verissimo thought that if we were at our best, maybe we could freeze Liverpool’s strengths. They have a huge assortment. They have a lot of offensive options. They can play vertically or on either side of the court. They press too high. I’m sure they analyzed us and we analyzed them.
He continued, “We know that when we defend, we have to be very compact, as we were against Ajax. This is a tough fight and we know we have to be at our best to have a chance.
It will be the first confrontation between the two teams in the Champions League since the 2005-2006 season, when Benfica won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon and the second leg 2-0 in the final price round, to avenge his English rival, who eliminated him from the 1977-1978 quarter-finals and 1983-1984 and the second round of the 1984 season. -1985.
#Klopp #admits #Salah #close #staying