Liverpool’s alternate winger pursuits: Unraveling the fate of three players amid Mo Salah’s absence
Mohamed Salah is undoubtedly etching his name in Liverpool’s illustrious history as one of the greatest players to don the club’s jersey. With an astonishing tally of 186 goals in 302 appearances since his arrival in 2017 for a fee of £36.5 million, Salah has proven his worth and silenced the initial doubts surrounding his signing.
Upon his arrival, skepticism lingered due to his previous underwhelming stint in England during his time at Chelsea. Limited to just 19 appearances at Stamford Bridge, Salah was eventually sold to Roma following a loan spell at both I Giallorossi and Fiorentina.
However, the £36.5 million investment made by Liverpool has turned out to be one of their most astute business decisions. Salah’s remarkable performances and prolific goal-scoring abilities have propelled the club to their first-ever Premier League title, along with victories in the Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup.
Ironically, a report in The Times, a few months after Salah’s arrival, revealed that he was actually Liverpool’s fourth choice for the winger position in the summer of 2017. Liverpool had initially pursued him before he opted to join Chelsea in 2013, and during that time, the club explored various alternatives.
The Times stated, “Liverpool scouted about 15 wide players between missing out on Salah and signing him. Klopp has conceded that it was Dave Fallows, head of scouting and recruitment, Barry Hunter, the chief scout, and Michael Edwards, the sporting director, whose background checks extended to spying missions at training camps as well as matches, who constantly pushed his case. [He joined] only after Liverpool had looked at other targets. Borussia Dortmund refused to let Christian Pulisic leave, Julian Draxler was pursued last January, opting to move instead to Paris Saint-Germain from Wolfsburg, and Julian Brandt chose to stay at Bayer Leverkusen fearing that he would not play regularly at Anfield.”
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 22, 2017
Hence, it seems that Liverpool initially had their sights set on Pulisic, Draxler, or Brandt before eventually securing Salah’s signature. However, looking back at the fortunes of those three players since 2017, Liverpool can consider themselves fortunate that their pursuit of them fell through.
Christian Pulisic remained at Borussia Dortmund in 2017, where he scored 12 goals in 72 appearances over the next two seasons. His performances prompted Chelsea to sign him for £58 million. While Pulisic shines at most other clubs, his role at Chelsea is that of a supporting player, having made 142 appearances since his arrival in the summer of 2019 and scoring 26 goals.
Julian Draxler, currently on loan at Benfica from Paris Saint-Germain, hasn’t produced numbers anywhere near Salah’s level. Since joining PSG, Draxler has managed just 26 goals in 198 matches. At 29 years old, he falls considerably short of Salah’s standards.
Julian Brandt, on the other hand, decided against a move to Liverpool, opting to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for two more seasons, where he scored an additional 22 goals. In 2019, he secured a transfer to Borussia Dortmund. However, his time at Westfalenstadion hasn’t been overly successful, with only six Bundesliga goals in his first 64 appearances. In the 2021/22 season, he managed to score nine Bundesliga goals, and he is currently one goal away from matching that tally this season.
In retrospect, Liverpool can confidently assert that the failure to secure the services of Pulisic, Draxler, or Brandt was a blessing in disguise. The incomparable contributions of Mohamed Salah have propelled the club to new heights, ensuring that his signing will be revered as one of Liverpool’s finest acquisitions.