Ryan Babel says now is a ‘good time’ for Liverpool to sell Mohamed Salah

Ryan Babel says now is a good time to sell Salah but urges club to keep Diaz & identifies key area Liverpool need to strengthen this summer.

• "I wouldn't be surprised to see Arne Slot bringing in some players he already knows, perhaps from Feyenoord."
• "From a business standpoint, I think that now would be a good time to sell Mo Salah... he's given everything for the club, and in my opinion, he has the right to look elsewhere."
• "If Liverpool lose Luis Diaz this summer, they're in trouble. If Mo Salah leaves, that's obviously a massive change to the squad, but allowing Diaz to leave as well would be very, very terrible, in my opinion."
• "Jurgen Klopp was the guy who brought Salah to the club and helped him become the player he is today. So, it's very disappointing, for me, for this love story to end the way that it has."
• "I do think Liverpool will need to strengthen up-front, regardless of whether or not Mo Salah stays at the club. Every game they create so many chances, but they also miss a lot of them. I'd like to see someone a little more clinical in those situations, in that number nine position."
• "Nunez does have the potential, but I feel like that final 20% still needs to come out of him, before he's close to being in the same category as Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturridge..."
• "I wouldn't be surprised to see Arne Slot bringing in some players he already knows, perhaps from Feyenoord. There's already a rumour that he wants to sign Lutsharel Geertruida; he's a good player, a national team player. He's someone who likes playing football, he's physically strong and I think he could be potentially ready to fit into this Liverpool squad."
  

From a business standpoint, I think that now would be a good time to sell Mo Salah. Whether that's to Saudi Arabia, or to another big club, I think that now would be a good time for Liverpool to make some money from him. Especially with a new manager coming in, with a different kind of philosophy, I think it could be a good thing. 

On the other hand, on a more personal side, it would be sad, of course, because you want to see Mo Salah stay at the club. He's been so important over the years; he's a true icon and it's always sad to see players of that stature leave the club. But, realistically, for everyone, I think it would be good for Mo Salah to go and find a new challenge. He's given everything for the club, and in my opinion, he has the right to look elsewhere. But that also means it's a good opportunity for Liverpool to make some money and reinvest in building a new team. 

If Liverpool lose Luis Diaz this summer, they're in trouble. If Mo Salah leaves, that's obviously a massive change to the squad, but allowing Diaz to leave as well would be very, very terrible, in my opinion. Other than that, the only other player I'm concerned about at this moment is Virgil van Dijk. But the question is, where would he go? You know, I don't think there are many teams he would want to play for, at this point. Not many teams are in a position where they're bigger or better to play for than Liverpool. And even then, the teams you would consider better than Liverpool, already have enough strong players in that position. It's a difficult one, and it's a decision these guys are going to have to make in the summer, and it's something the new manager will have to deal with when he comes in; how the whole club and structure will look next season. 

From what I've seen, there are a few different angles of the incident between Mo Salah and Jurgen Klopp. As a former player, I can make assumptions on the dynamic. If you know you're an important player - and maybe in this case, the most important player - then a certain ego is involved, obviously. I would assume that Mo Salah was probably disappointed about not starting, and so when Klopp decided to eventually put him on, he showed that disappointment in his actions. That's how I judged the video.  

This kind of thing happens often between players and managers, but of course, because it's Mo Salah, it's really under the spotlight. It's sad to see, because I feel like those two have made such a great impact on Liverpool. You know, Jurgen Klopp was the guy who brought Salah to the club and helped him become the player he is today. So, it's very disappointing, for me, for this love story to end the way that it has. 

They are both good people, though, and it's important to remember that Mo Salah is human. After a night of sleep, I'm sure the two have talked, but that's unfortunately the thing we're not going to see in the media. 

I do think Liverpool will need to strengthen up-front, regardless of whether or not Mo Salah stays at the club. Every game they create so many chances, but they also miss a lot of them. I'd like to see someone a little more clinical in those situations, in that number nine position. 

Darwin Nunez has improved a lot, when you look at the player who arrived two years ago, versus the player Liverpool have today. He's understood that there are different rules in England to Portugal. But he still has a long way to go, in my opinion, especially when you compare him to some of the strikers Liverpool have had over the years... you know, Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturrdige, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler... it's not an easy job. 

Nunez does have the potential, but I feel like that final 20% still needs to come out of him, before he's close to being in the same category as those guys. 

 There are many ways you can approach Nunez's situation; in one breath you might say OK, he's had a lot of chances to prove himself, but at the same time, realistically, not all players are world class from a young age. If I remember right, was Didier Drogba not 26 when he signed for Chelsea? So, with that in mind, it's worth remembering that some players just need a longer time before they eventually reach their prime, and maybe Nunez's prime is at 27 or 28... whether he gets the time at Liverpool is another question. But I still believe that I've seen enough from him to know he has the power, he has the pace, he has the work ethic. 

He has all of the attributes you need to be a Liverpool striker. You cannot be lazy; for example, when Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli, I immediately knew that wasn't going to work, because Balotelli is not a worker. He has quality, yes, but he's just not a Liverpool player.

I'd like an established striker to come in and take some of that pressure off Darwin Nunez; someone who already understands what it means to play for a top team like Liverpool. 

Defensively, I think we're in a good position, with Ibrahima Konate, and all of the other guys behind him, I think there are several players with great futures ahead of them in that team.  

I think there's the potential for growth in the midfield, also; they have a lot of different dynamics in that area. I would like to see Ryan Gravenberch start to play a bigger role for the team because he's very talented and I know him very well. He's got a lot of great attributes; he can score goals, he's great at arriving in the box, and after that big move from Bayern Munich, we need to accept that he needs time to adapt to the Premier League because he's still so young. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Arne Slot bringing in some players he already knows, perhaps from Feyenoord. There's already a rumour that he wants to sign Lutsharel Geertruida; he's a good player, a national team player. He's someone who likes playing football, he's physically strong and I think he could be potentially ready to fit into this Liverpool squad. The question is, where does he play? Centre-back, or right-back? He's capable of playing both, and I think Liverpool already have strong options in that area.

But yeah, I think that with him being Dutch, naturally he'll want a few people in his squad who speak the language. But also he'll want people who already understand what he expects from his team, and his philosophy. Luckily, there are already three Dutch players at Liverpool in Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo, who will understand what he wants immediately. That will be an advantage, absolutely.