Liverpool's Salah Replacement Gamble Under Fire
Liverpool’s decision to head into the season without a like-for-like Mohamed Salah replacement has been branded a major risk – and Stephen Warnock believes the real regret at Anfield might not be on the right wing at all.
The club’s big swing this summer was Bradley Barcola. A £123m (€140m, $163m) statement signing, arriving on the penultimate day of the window and falling just short of a club-record fee. He walks into Anfield with one job: keep the Salah machine running.
That is no small brief. Salah leaves as a modern giant, adored on the Kop and sitting third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring charts. Goals, assists, big moments – he defined an era.
Barcola, though, is a different profile. The Frenchman does his best work off the left, drifting inside, attacking full-backs from that flank. It is a zone where Liverpool are already well stocked.
The right? That’s where the questions start.
Warnock: ‘It could cost them’
Liverpool explored late-window options. Ismaila Sarr was sounded out. Two bids went in for Yankuba Minteh and were knocked back. No deal. No direct heir to Salah’s right-sided throne.
“Ultimately, yes, it could cost them,” Warnock told TEAMtalk in association with Gambler Media.
“But one of the biggest issues is that, was there an adequate replacement that they thought could replicate what Salah was doing? I don’t think there is an adequate replacement because what Salah did was phenomenal.”
Liverpool, he pointed out, are rigid on value.
“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. However, it is understandable why they didn’t pursue that move too much, probably down to Crystal Palace’s stance on him but also his age.”
Minteh, seven years younger than Sarr at 22 and widely seen as having a higher ceiling, lingers in the background as one for the future.
“Yankuba Minteh is an interesting one because you wonder whether they’d have really pushed for that move had he been fully fit,” Warnock said.
The planning gap
What really stuns Warnock is the timescale. Liverpool knew Salah’s exit was coming. This was no last-minute shock.
“The funny thing is that they have known for so long about Salah leaving, but they still haven’t found a replacement. 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. 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…”
Warnock questions Semenyo and Diomande decisions
Barcola’s arrival capped a pursuit that stretched back close to a year, but he was never the only name on Liverpool’s list.
They chased Antoine Semenyo in January, only to see Manchester City strike first with a £62.5m (€73m, $84.5m) move. Earlier in the summer, Yan Diomande also sat high on their agenda.
Warnock cannot quite believe how that played out.
“I found it really strange at the time that they didn’t buy Semenyo,” he said.
“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.”
Minteh may yet re-enter the frame, but Warnock warned that the January market offers little room for manoeuvre.
“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, his verdict was blunt.
“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, 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.”
Barcola, Carragher and the weight of expectation
While recruitment debates rage, Barcola carries the weight of that £123m fee and the shadow of Salah’s numbers. The Frenchman has already sparked huge interest among supporters, not least after a 14-word Jamie Carragher tweet about him went viral and sent Liverpool fans into fits of laughter online.
The mood around Barcola is optimistic, even playful. The mood around the right flank is anything but.
Liverpool have gambled that system, coaching and internal solutions can bridge the Salah gap for now. If that bet goes wrong, the clip that gets replayed might not be a missed chance on the pitch, but the sight of Semenyo in sky blue – and Minteh lighting it up somewhere else.
