Arsenal has just taken a $74m risk that may backfire as Liverpool knows Mohamed Salah difference

It feels like a long time ago now that Liverpool looked at potentially trying to acquire Bukayo Saka — then a promising young left-back coming through the ranks at Arsenal, who the Reds wondered if they might be able to poach.

Borussia Dortmund, according to Football.London, was also taking a look (usually a good sign when it comes to young talent) and since then (about three years), partly helped by his presence in England teams at major tournaments, the 21-year-old has become something of a household name.

This season, he has been a key man for Mikel Arteta as Arsenal took strides forward, and this week, he signed a new long-term contract that ties him down until 2027.

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According to David Ornstein, the winger will earn around $355,000 (£290,000) per week, making him Arsenal’s top earner. Over the four years, it works out at a commitment of around $74m (£60m).

That, though, sets a dangerous precedent. Saka is yet to win a trophy with Arsenal and there is no guarantee that this season’s title tilt is here to stay.

That sort of figure is a Champions League salary, for a club that might not make the top four consistently given the level of competition there is in the Premier League.

More important than that, however, is the fact that a ceiling has been breached. Saka is not Arsenal’s highest-ever earner — that was Mesut Özil — but he is the biggest earner in the current squad.

Declan Rice, if he, for example, was to arrive from West Ham this summer for $100m (£93m/€81m) or more, would surely be expecting a similar sum. A $100m player might reasonably argue that they deserve a ‘$100m wage’.

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And what about Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Ødegaard, or any of the other players that have helped Saka lead the ultimately failed charge against Manchester City? Ødegaard, in particular, could feasibly ask for parity.

Liverpool, of course, decided, after much deliberation and delay, to hand a big-money contract to Mohamed Salah last summer. Crucially, though, that was only after the Egyptian had spearheaded several years of sustained success.

Only a couple of seasons missing out by a single point stopped the Reds from dominating, and the Premier League and Champions League titles they did earn were significantly helped to be achieved by a player that was for a large period a leading candidate for being the best player on the planet.

Saka is undoubtedly very good, but he is not at those levels. Salah has 186 goals in 304 appearances for Liverpool; he scored seven more in his first season at Anfield than Saka has in total for the Gunners to date.

That is not to say that Saka is not brilliant. He very much is, he is already one of the top talents around, and will probably go on to have an excellent career. But Arsenal, by giving him that sort of deal so early on, have set the bar very high.

It is the kind of risk that Liverpool has avoided, and it remains to be seen whether it pays off.

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Liverpool has transfer luxury Chelsea lacks and Jürgen Klopp should fix Roberto Firmino dilemma

Liverpool has had a pretty abject season. But the outlook is positively rosy when compared with Chelsea, whose trouncing at the hands of Manchester United confirmed Jürgen Klopp’s Europa League fate.

Chelsea can only dream of European football of any kind, with a bottom-half Premier League finish now confirmed. Heading into the final day of the season, the only ‘jeopardy’ is whether it can score the goal that would take the tally up to 38, an average of one per game.

As well as reminding Liverpool that things can always be worse, Chelsea has pointed towards a potential transfer option for Klopp. With Roberto Firmino leaving, now could be the time to make a move.

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There is a dilemma for Liverpool in the sense that it’s not immediately obvious whether Firmino needs replacing. A player of his stature will undoubtedly leave a void, but it’s impossible to externally replicate his eight years of experience under Klopp. Meanwhile, in terms of the pure on-pitch output, the likes of Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez are already in place.

Nevertheless, much as Gakpo has done well in that false nine role, some added depth in that area is likely to at least be on the radar. Sure enough, Klopp recently confirmed that the only position where Liverpool will not be keeping an eye out is between the sticks.

With the recruitment team alive to the right opportunity, perhaps the end of João Félix’s Chelsea loan could open a door. The fact that Atlético Madrid sanctioned the move in the first place was a pretty big hint that the Spanish side is open to moving him on, and he has long been touted as a player with similar qualities to Firmino.

The timing could be right for Liverpool to try and bring João Félix to Anfield.

(Image: Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Amazingly, amid his veritable spree of transfer business, Todd Boehly has no way of triggering a permanent move. Probably the star turn from the dizzying recruitment drive, he will be the one to return to his parent club at the end of the season.

Even if Chelsea did have an option to buy, it seems likely that Liverpool could come in and hijack the deal. Quite apart from the fact that Anfield is a significantly more appealing destination at present, Félix — despite faring better than many of the other recruits — has not had the best time of things in London.

Yet that should not put Liverpool off. Félix has shown his quality in flashes — including a late, well-taken consolation against Manchester United to keep that 38-goal dream alive for Chelsea. And if he has not thrived consistently, it is because he has not had the platform.

Incredibly, Félix’s four strikes since joining in January make him the club’s third top-scorer. But with Chelsea’s biggest problem being goals, the Portuguese star was never likely to be the answer. His game has never revolved around being prolific, with his skill set instead more in line with that of Firmino.

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With no reliable source of goals from elsewhere, Chelsea should have realized it did not have the luxury of going for him. But Liverpool is not short in the goals department, meaning Félix could be just the sprinkling of star quality that the squad needs.

He also gives Klopp a handy get-out from the Firmino dilemma. While he could reprise much the same role as the Brazilian when needed, he would also strengthen the midfield options, with his qualities certainly suited to the new-look twin number eight roles that the manager has developed.

Félix has a handful of games as an attacking midfielder under his belt already, but it seems fairly obvious that his skills would transfer anyway. Sufficiently hard-working on the defensive side of the game, he is also a highly adept passer, and loves to progress through both passes and carries.

With the most statistically similar forward being Lionel Messi, it is clear that Félix is just waiting to be unleashed at the right place. A little stifled at Atlético Madrid, before moving to an abject side marooned in mid-table, a move to Liverpool could revive the wonderkid who set the world alight not so long ago. Klopp’s side has not had the best of campaigns, but it has the luxury of being able to make this move.