If Jurgen Klopp was offered the chance to secure the future of either Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane by the start of July six months ago, the Liverpool boss would have gladly taken it. And while the German was forced to grit his teeth as the latter made his way for the exit last month, it has lifted the tension after watching the pair clash on more than one occasion.
Salah has signed a lucrative new three-year deal worth £350,000-a-week, making him the highest earner in the club’s history and meaning he will lead the three-man attack into next season and beyond. But for the first time in his Liverpool career, Mane won’t be there in pre-season training after sealing a £37m move to Bayern Munich.
And perhaps it will be a case of mixed feelings for Klopp. Salah and Mane share a strong competitive streak that has moulded them into two of the best players in the world over the past five years. Whether it was scoring goals, creating assists or delivering on the big stage, these two combined together superbly, while also scrapping to become top dog at Liverpool and also in Africa.
But that meant tempers were always likely to boil over at some point, even if their relationship was generally positive. Back in 2019, Liverpool were playing away at Burnley and comfortably winning when Salah was inside the box, with defenders around him. To his left, unmarked Mane was begging for the ball to be sent his way, but Salah ignored his colleague’s pleas and went for goal, wasting the chance.
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Mane made it clear to his team-mate just how unhappy he was and Salah defended himself, doing what most strikers would do within 20 yards of goal. Klopp arguably made it worse when he withdrew the 30-year-old not long after, causing the outraged forward to register his unhappiness with his boss. The German boss attempted to defuse the situation after the game, but could not avoid the fact there was a disagreement between his star duo.
“He was upset,” Jurgen Klopp said in his post-match interview. “We spoke about it. Everything is fine. We are individuals. We are emotional. It was a situation in the game – what else could happen? Not a phone call.
“It was a situation in the game he was not happy about. It’s completely fine. Would he do it in the same manner again? Probably not. But nothing happened. He didn’t say any wrong words, he just looked a little bit different to how he does usually.”
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It is safe to say that in a popularity contest, Salah wins with the overall fanbase. The Kop serenade their ‘Egyptian King’ nearly every week on Merseyside, while the tireless efforts of Mane go somewhat under the radar. Of course, that is not always the case — Reds legend Jamie Carragher revealed Mane was his favourite Liverpool player ahead of Salah.
Salah’s record of 156 goals is 30 better than what Mane managed in his six seasons at Liverpool, but some would point to his individualist traits compared to his now-former team-mate as a reason behind the higher total. That incident at Turf Moor only highlighted how focused Salah is on hitting his goal targets and being the team’s star man.
Of course, now that Mane has gone, Salah will have to watch over his shoulder for the new guard. Darwin Nunez will be looking to make an impression after his £85m move, while Luis Diaz is gaining more fans at the club with every game he plays. But Klopp can breathe easy for now, knowing that he made his choice in keeping Salah around — and not having to keep both of them happy any longer.
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