Mohamed Salah stays in Liverpool as Saudi Pro League reaches deadline

Those at Liverpool FC and their fans will be relieved now that the Saudi Arabia transfer window has come to a close. The deadline arrived at 10pm on Thursday, September 7, and no deal has been reached for the transfer of Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian will be staying at Anfield for now, but the Reds know that the Saudis will be ready for a fresh approach in January.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad was heavily linked with the striker, and Liverpool fans were concerned that the club may not be able to turn down a lucrative bid from the oil-rich Saudi side. If that happened. Liverpool would have been left vulnerable as they no longer have the opportunity to sign a replacement. The English transfer window already ended last week, which means their hands would be tied even if they receive a lump of cash for Salah.

Jurgen Klopp is the most relieved of all

If Al-Ittihad were successful in their pursuit of Salah, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would have been left with the Herculean task of sorting out his squad without his top striker. He would not have the opportunity to sign a replacement for four months, and even then it would not be easy to find someone to fill the shoes of the prolific Egyptian.

Last month, Klopp already voiced his concerns about the "threat" coming from Saudi Arabia, especially as the European clubs are left vulnerable after the end of their transfer window.

This comes after several other players left the squad this summer, including captain Jordan Henderson. It may be remembered that Henderson left Liverpool to join another Saudi side, Al-Ettifaq, which is now managed by Reds legend Steven Gerrard. Henderson admitted that he received a lot of criticism for the move, but later explained that he did not feel any resistance from Klopp nor the club executives when he received an offer from the Saudi side.

What happened to the £215 million bid for Salah?

It is unclear if Liverpool even received the rumoured world-record bid of £215 million for the Egyptian. Earlier this week, multiple reports claimed that the Saudi champions are making an improved bid after Liverpool rejected their earlier offer of £170 million. Club executives reportedly flew into the UK to enter fresh talks with the Premier League side, but not much more was heard until the transfer deadline arrived.

Despite all that, the 31-year-old is still very much a target for Al-Ittihad even if they already have former Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema in their roster. Salah still has two years left in his current contract with Liverpool, and if he stays on in January, the club may opt to sell him for top dollar next summer.

His contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 season, and Liverpool would want to cash in instead of letting him leave for free. This means that they will also be hoping that his performance this season will continue to show that he is a valuable asset. Liverpool will also have the next several months to choose a replacement carefully.

If Al-Ittihad makes a lucrative offer next summer, neither Liverpool nor the player can refuse. The Egyptian will likely earn three times his current salary, and Liverpool should be able to shop for a much younger potential replacement.

Al-Ettifaq also joined the last-minute circus

Apart from the Mo Salah saga, the drama between Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho was another big talking point this week. Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq tried to swoop in to sign the player after he revealed his unhappiness in the Old Trafford dressing room.

However, a deal could not be reached and the deadline has now forced Sancho to stick it out with United for the time being. It will be an awkward situation after he openly criticised Ten Hag after their 3-1 loss against Arsenal last Sunday.

Sancho was dropped from the squad for that match, and Ten Hag later told the press that it was because of the player's sub-par performance during training. Sancho did not appreciate the comment and claimed that he was being used as a "scapegoat".

Al-Ettifaq came in to try to pry the player off the hands of United, but the conversations did not end in a deal. However, other than Henderson, Al-Ettifaq managed to sign Everton winger Demarai Gray for £8million on a four-year deal.