How does Mohamed Salah compare to Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho

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Liverpool yesterday confirmed the signing of Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian winger from Roma, for a fee of £34 million, making him the club’s second most expensive signing, as reported by BBC Sport.

Salah represents a very exciting signing for the Reds. A rapid winger with a fantastic end product and, at just 25 years of age, he has great potential to improve further, but how does he compare to what the Reds already have?

The Egyptian was deployed primarily as a right winger during his time at Roma, but also in the number ten or as a second striker behind ex-City man Edin Dzeko – the pair formed one of the deadliest partnerships in Serie A in recent seasons.

In terms of output, Salah’s statistics are very impressive, especially for a winger. In 31 league appearances last season, the 25-year-old managed fifteen goals and eleven assists. This is better than both Phillipe Coutinho and Sadio Mane – the two men at Liverpool who occupied wide roles in Jurgen Klopp’s side last season.

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Coutinho scored thirteen and assisted seven in as many appearances for the Reds, whilst Mane managed thirteen goals and five assists in 27 appearances.

When comparing the Liverpool’s latest recruit to their current wingers, the Salah deal makes a great deal of sense. Blessed with natural pace, similar to that of their Senegalese star, Salah can burst past his man, but can also pick out a pass from slightly deeper.

However, despite Salah’s goal return being better than both his new teammates, the Egyptian was less clinical, finding the target 53% of the time. Mane was significantly more accurate, with 10% more of his 38 shots on target. Coutinho was only slightly more accurate with 55%, but he did attempt more, with the Brazilian having 69 efforts while Salah had 64, excluding blocked shots.

Coutinho was also slightly more efficient with his ball retention, with Liverpool’s number 10 completing 1,068 passes, finishing the season with an 84% completion rate. Salah only successfully engaged with a teammate on 733 occasions but, as he was more clinical in terms of goals and assists, his passing accuracy will mean very little to Liverpool fans.

Salah only successfully engaged with a teammate on 733 occasions but, as he was more clinical in terms of goals and assists, his passing accuracy will mean very little to Liverpool fans. Mane was the most wasteful passer of the three, completing only 77%, compared to Coutinho’s 84% and Salah’s 80%.

Aside from the Egyptian’s playmaking skills, Klopp would have also taken note of his ability to sniff out a chance whether it may be from a loose ball, cross or rebound in and around the box, and this is something that sets him apart from the Reds’ current options out wide.

Statistically, there were few wingers better than the Liverpool pair last season but Mohamed Salah was one of these players. The ex-Chelsea man has a point to prove in the Premier League and it will be interesting to see where the winger slots into this Liverpool attack. But, one thing is for certain, the addition of pace, goals and assists will certainly please the Anfield faithful.

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