Irreplaceable Star In Liverpool's XI Must Be Allowed To Leave This Summer, Says Robbie Fowler

Former Liverpool FC striker Robbie Fowler believes the Reds must sell Mohamed Salah to clear funds for a rebuild if the Egyptian player is no longer fully committed.

Even after selling their key man Philippe Coutinho in January 2018, Liverpool did not miss him as they regrouped fast and this time, for better. Following his departure, the club won as many as four trophies, including the Premier League last campaign.

The defending champions are having a crisis-filled year. After winning 68 matches straight at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp’s side has now lost six league games in a row at their fortress. Liverpool have lost a total of nine matches, drawn seven, and won the rest. They are currently placed seventh in the league table and are seven points behind the final Champions League spot.

Even though Salah, 17, is still the top scorer in the Premier League this season, having scored one goal more than Bruno Fernandes and Harry Kane (16), he has not been at his best in the last few games. Salah, who is one of the vital cogs of the team, has not scored in four league matches in a row.

"I’m not having a go at Salah - I love him to bits - but I truly believe that transfers now are largely about what players want, so the ball is in his court not Liverpool’s. If he wants to go, then he should go. If a player wants to leave, we have to accept it’s in the mix. I’m a firm believer that if they are unhappy and want to be going, then they should be going. Jurgen Klopp has said the same, too – he doesn’t want anyone at the club who doesn’t want to be there," Fowler was quoted by Goal, as saying, in a recent interview.

Salah, who has been instrumental in Liverpool's recent success under Klopp, has netted 118 goals in 190 competitive matches. He has top-scored for the Reds in every single season since his arrival from Roma to Anfield in the summer of 2017. The former Roma forward’s transfer fee is expected to be over $140 million.

"It is my belief that was his attitude with Philippe Coutinho. He agitated for a move. Liverpool turned it down in the summer because it didn’t suit them financially and in terms of bringing players in, but they did the deal in January and used the money to buy Virgil van Dijk and Alisson. Klopp didn’t want Coutinho because he thought his attitude wasn’t right, and he didn’t want that poison in his camp in the end. So if Salah is truly ­unhappy if he is upset, he hasn’t been given a new contract or whatever, then cash in, get as much as you can for him and use the money to make tweaks with the current team," added Fowler, who had two stints with Liverpool during his professional career that lasted for 18 long years.

Salah, who is contracted with Liverpool until 2023, has been linked with a move away from Anfield over the last few months. When Jurgen Klopp substituted Salah in the second half against Chelsea, the player’s agent posted a cryptic tweet that further strengthened the rumors of the Egyptian’s possible departure from Anfield this summer.

Fowler also stated that Coutinho looked good at Liverpool because of the system and that may well be in the case of Salah.

"It turned out that Countino wasn’t quite so good as people thought anyway – the system he was playing in made him look better. Perhaps that’s the same with Salah. You’d miss his goals, but is it possible to find someone better – not necessarily as a direct ­replacement, but in strengthening the team as a whole?" Fowler further explained.