Mohamed Salah’s story with Liverpool will end this summer, after nine years of remarkable consistency, goals, assists, trophies, and excitement. However, back in 2017, when Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool were looking for a right winger to sign, they considered three names ahead of the Egyptian forward.
As fate would have it, Liverpool could not strike a deal for any of these wingers, but one can only imagine what life without Mohamed Salah would have been for the Reds if they had succeeded in bringing one of these attackers in instead of Salah.
Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic was 18 years old at the time, and there were rumours that Jurgen Klopp wanted him at Liverpool, with some sources saying the Reds made an £11 million bid for him. Klopp knew Pulisic from his days at Dortmund, but he could not bring the young American to Merseyside. Pulisic eventually signed for Chelsea, arriving in the Premier League two years after Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah.
At his best, Pulisic never reached Mohamed Salah’s heights in the Premier League. Injuries and poor form often hindered the American. Who knows how he might have turned out if he had signed for Liverpool?
Julian Draxler
Draxler was already an established player at Wolfsburg in 2017. Liverpool tried to sign him in 2017, with the club opening negotiations with Wolfsburg, but the German forward chose to join PSG in January 2017. The move proved to stall Julian Draxler’s career, and many Liverpool fans feel relieved the club did not sign him ahead of Salah.
Draxler now plays for Qatari club Al Ahli after a rather underwhelming career at PSG.
Julian Brandt
The Reds wanted to bring in Julian Brandt in early 2017 and again in the summer when the German attacker was still at Leverkusen, but Brandt decided against a move to the Premier League so he could get enough playing time to make Germany’s 2018 World Cup squad.
Liverpool then chose to move for Mohamed Salah, who was available at AS Roma, and the rest is now history.
What would Liverpool’s last nine years have looked like if they had signed any of these attackers instead of Mohamed Salah? Would they have won two league titles or the Champions League? What do you think?
