Current Liverpool star labelled best Reds player ever in Prem era, but Man City ace still superior
Mohamed Salah may have trumped Steven Gerrard as the greatest ever Liverpool player in the Premier League era, though a Manchester City ace still comes out on top in one category, according to two observers.
Gerrard – a four-time Liverpool Player of the Year – is the obvious choice when naming the Reds’ greatest ever player in the EPL era.
While the dynamic midfielder never lifted the Premier League trophy, he was often saddled with playing in vastly inferior teams when compared to the current crop.
Aside from his mesmeric on-field displays, Gerrard also has longevity on his side when weighing up the debate. The Reds icon made 504 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, notching 120 goals and 92 assists.
However, when appearing on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast, two observers suggested Mohamed Salah may have usurped Gerrard as Liverpool’s greatest player since 1992.
“Steven Gerrard is the one that – the fact that we’re even having this debate shows what Salah has done in seven years… Steven carried the club for years,” said the Daily Mail’s Liverpool expert Dominic King.
“Salah since he’s come in I just think he’s just been extraordinary.
“His durability – there’s been 237 Premier League games since he arrived, and he’s played in 227 of them. Then there’s the goals – he’s scored 194.
“The comparison with Steven Gerrard, who never won the Premier League, the great player that he was. I think it would be very difficult to argue that Mo Salah in the Premier League era isn’t Liverpool’s greatest ever player.”
Salah one of football’s ‘true greats’
Salah has greatly surpassed even the loftiest of expectations since arriving from Roma for £43m in 2017.
Memories of Salah’s underwhelming stint at Chelsea were in many people’s minds, but the Egyptian winger quickly proved he had developed into a completely different calibre of player.
Salah has top scored for Liverpool in every single one of his six full seasons at Anfield. Even when he endures a rare off day – such as against Everton on Saturday – he still often decides the contest as he did with a pair of goals in the derby.
King stressed Salah doesn’t get spoken about in the same terms as Cristiano Ronaldo for example, though perhaps he should.
“I don’t think people recognise we’re actually watching a true great, a genuine world class player,” continued King. “I don’t think he gets spoken about the way Ronaldo would have done when he was here.
“Salah didn’t have his best day on Saturday but he still scored. You turn up at Anfield and you just expect him to score.
“The influence that has on the team, the comfort it gives them, when someone’s right at the peak.”
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More Salah backing, but Haaland No 1
Former England international, Chris Sutton, appeared to concur with the notion Salah has surpassed Gerrard.
“You’re absolutely right,” agreed Sutton. “He has taken Liverpool to another level.
“The number of games he’s played, the goals he’s scored season after season – he is so reliable. Standing in the tunnel next to players like [Alan] Shearer, like [Henrik] Larsson, you just know that when the opportunity comes along these players have that reliability.”
However, while Sutton continued to heap praise on Salah, he did claim Man City’s Erling Haaland pips him to being the Premier League’s most ruthless finisher.
Sutton concluded: “It’s more than reliability, it’s ruthlessness, and Salah is every bit as ruthless as any player the Premier League has ever seen, maybe not [Erling] Haaland though!”
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