Mohamed Salah’s exponential rise since leaving Chelsea on loan in winter 2015 has been truly sensational.
He departed Stamford Bridge, temporarily at first, for Fiorentina before thriving at Roma for two seasons between 2015 and 2017, and has become even better under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Salah’s hugely impressive return to the Premier League in 17/18 saw him shatter several individual records, while last season made him one of the eight players to retain the Golden Boot.
Deservedly, the Reds have also been successful, with an impressive 2018 seeing them claim the Champions League, European Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup. They were primed for an unprecedented league title before the coronavirus pandemic halted football in Europe, and may well still be crowned champions with recent developments as regards the top flight’s resumption.
If the Egypt star claims the division’s top prize, it’d complete an amazing three to four years in which he’s been transformed from an inconsistent wideman capable of producing fleeting moments of magic to world-class goalscoring attacker.
Indeed, after largely conquering English football, observers will be keen to see whether the prolific forward will seek another challenge outside the Premier League. In fairness, as far as challenges go, there’s none greater than the test posed by Real Madrid, generally considered the pinnacle of any professional player’s career.
The scrutiny of the Spanish capital alone could drain even the most mentally strong individual, not the mention the weight of expectation that accompanies moving to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Still, such a move is already being mooted in the media, regardless of whether the Reds eventually end decades of domestic drought with the title this year, even if it remains to be seen whether Europe's big clubs will be able to splash the cash this summer.
Putting that aside, how could Los Blancos look like with Salah in the side, and will both parties be beneficiaries of a transfer?
On paper, it could work. Eden Hazard, last summer’s Galactico, plays on the opposite flank from the Egyptian, so both should fit together on the same side if a move does materialise.
However, a potential transfer may consequently limit the precocious Rodrygo, who’s shown bits of potential in his first season in Zinedine Zidane’s side. The teenager’s goal tally of seven in all competitions before football’s suspension was the second best in the side, curiously level with centre-back Sergio Ramos.
Interestingly, in La Liga, Karim Benzema leads the way with 14 goals, Ramos is next with five, while Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric have three goals apiece. Gareth Bale and Lucas Vazquez, two players who are often utilised on the right, have a paltry two league goals, which is level with World Cup-winning central defender Raphael Varane. The mercurial Vinicius Junior, another wide attacker has similarly scored twice and Luka Jovic hasn’t pulled up trees since moving to Spain.
Frankly, there haven’t been enough contributions by Zidane’s attackers this season, which has prevented the Whites from pulling ahead in the title battle against a Barcelona side many consider the worst iteration in decades.
Real Madrid have netted 49 times in 27 league games, an average of 1.8 per game, which accounts as one of the lowest returns at this stage of the season for the giants in recent memory. Zidane has made up for that by tightening the defence, with the concession of 19 goals the outright best in the championship (even better than Atletico Madrid’s 21).
In truth, there have been mitigating factors, not least Hazard’s injury problems in the Spanish capital since moving from Chelsea last summer. Still, the Belgian has never been one to get a horde of goals and assists in his career (or, at least, the numbers that fans at the Bernabeu will demand consistently) so one wonders if the playmaker was the right marquee signing to begin with given his style.
Salah, on the other hand, guarantees goals and his profile adds a crucial element Zidane’s side have lacked since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus in 2018.
While the North African may not be as prolific as the Portuguese in his pomp, the ex-Basel man still ought to do a better job of replacing his goals than what the current forwards are serving up.
This can only be a positive considering Real’s wide attackers are either not natural goalscorers or consistent enough to supply high goal contributions just yet. Even though Bale is, in principle, capable of this, injury problems and an uncertain future mean the Welshman can’t be relied upon for an extended period.
The notion that Salah would struggle outside Jurgen Klopp’s system, while an understandable criticism of his all-round game, remains a moot point. He’d thrived at Fiorentina and then under two different managers at Roma before playing under the German boss.
Zidane may not pay as much attention to the specifics like Klopp and Pep Guardiola, but he retains their emphasis for hard work and team cohesion, which has improved the team as a well-rounded unit.
Unfortunately, they’ve lacked individual quality in the final third leading to their underwhelming scoring return.
This is a problem Salah can solve and it’s no question he’d improve the side. Whether the Madrid giants make the plunge, however, remains to be seen.