In his latest column, Paul Merson discusses Mohamed Salahs future at Liverpool, Man Citys return to winning ways, evaluation at Man Utd, Arsenals title chances and why Wolves fans will have a big say in Gary ONeils future.
Id give Salah a new two-year deal, no moreWere only hearing it on the grapevine, but were hearing two years with a year option to Mo Salah. Thats a long time. Id give him 300-400 grand a week now. Of course I would today, because hes doing the business.
Im his biggest fan. I think hes world-class. Ill say he gets in every team in the world. Hes a winger and hes top scorer in the Premier League. Its just absolutely amazing the numbers he puts up week in, week out, year in, year out.
Watch Premier League highlights for freeGet Sky Sports | Transfer Centre LIVE!Download the Sky Sports app | Get Sky Sports on WhatsAppBut in two-and-a-half years time, thats a lot of money to be giving someone if theyre not doing the business then.
Football changes. If it didnt, wed all still be playing still! The one sure thing that happens in football is, the older you get, the slower you get. Thats a fact. Otherwise, Usain Bolt would still be winning the Olympic 100 metres.
For me, if it was a two-year contract, Id give it to him, but I wouldnt give him the option of another year. I understand Liverpool 100 per cent. I know people will say theyve got to buy someone and it will cost them more, but they will have to buy someone sooner or later.
Hes not going to go on until hes 40, 41 years of age, so youre only kicking it down the road. Amorim needs this season to evaluateI think the manager is using this year to see what he needs and what he doesnt need.
He can play certain players in certain games, to see whos going to show up in these big games. By the end of the season, hell know he can rely on, who he needs to keep and hell know the people that he needs to get rid of that are not going to help him one bit.
Hes having a look. Its no good to keep on playing the same players every week and they get through and win a game here, win a game here, come fifth, sixth in the league, and then move on again next year.
Thats got to stop. This is Manchester United. Theyre one of the biggest clubs in the world, no doubt about that. They need to, not write off a year, but just see who they need and who they dont need. We see it with internationals like Germany and France and teams like that.
They have a bad couple of competitions and they reset; they write one off and then they come back and win a trophy. I think thats what Man United have got to do and I think thats what hes doing. To do what he did in Portugal is no luck.
You have to be an unbelievable manager to do what hes done, and I think hell get it right, but it will take him time. It will take him at least a year. Arsenal can stay in the title race If they can get their best team on the pitch that beat West Ham, then theyve got a chance.
The one that beat Sporting Lisbon was their best team. If they get that on the pitch every week, they can get on a run, win six, seven games on the trot. I said on Super Sunday a few weeks ago, the gap to Liverpool had to get down to six points before it went to 12.
Its down to seven at the moment. Both have got difficult games this weekend, Liverpool and Arsenal. Arsenal have just got to stay in there, keep everybody fit, and you never, never know. But they wont be far off.
With Odegaard back, theyre a completely different team. When youre struggling, play your best players – thats what Pep didNo one likes losing football matches and all of a sudden, you get into a rut. Its just happened with one of the greatest teams that ever played football.
Im not telling Pep Guardiola, hes one of the greatest managers of all time. But I always think when I was a manager – and I was manager on a much, much lesser standard – someone told me one day, whenever your teams struggling, get the best players on the pitch.
Even if theyre not playing the best or theyre struggling with a bit of form, get your best players on the pitch. On Wednesday night, he did that. He got Kevin De Bruyne on the pitch and he is their best player when Rodri isnt playing.
He makes things happen. Last year and the year before, Jack Grealish played in all the big football matches for Pep Guardiola, and [against Nottingham Forest] he did that. What Grealish does, he holds the ball and he draws players in.
Now, when he draws players in, that means someones spare. If youre leaving people like De Bruyne free and Bernardo Silva free and Jeremy Doku free, youre going to get ripped to shreds. I know the result was 3-0, but Forest had a couple of big chances at 1-0.
If one of them have gone in, who knows? It could have been a different game. Man City started really well and went 1-0 up, but if it goes to 1-1, does that confidence drain again? Well never know, because they went on and got the second, but its the start of a run.
Knowing Man City, theyll go and win the next 13! Wolves fans will have a big say on ONeils future Theres one thing for sure as a manager, the only people that get you the sack is the fans. Its very rare fans are singing your name when you get the sack.
This is a big, big football match this weekend for Gary ONeil and Wolves against West Ham. I look at this game and I think, if either manager loses this football match, hes going to be under severe pressure from their fans.
Im not saying from the board because they might have good relationships. But, as I said, the fans get you the sack. When the fans want you out, its very, very rare that you can stay there. The board listen to the fans.
Otherwise, if they dont listen to the fans, then they turn on the board. The board dont want them turning on them so they listen to the fans.
