Liverpool's Salah Gamble: Warnock Questions £62.5m Regret
Liverpool’s decision to walk into the post-Mohamed Salah era without a like-for-like replacement is already being questioned – and Stephen Warnock believes the real sting may come from a £62.5m forward they allowed to slip away.
FSG sanctioned one of the most expensive deals in the club’s history to bring in Bradley Barcola on the penultimate day of the window, a £123m (€140m, $163m) swing that underlined how desperate Liverpool were to add firepower.
Barcola is the man being asked to help fill the void left by Salah, a modern Anfield icon who sits third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring charts and transformed the right flank into his personal stage.
There’s a catch. Barcola does his best work from the left.
Liverpool already have options there. Plenty of them. On the right, where Salah terrorised defences for years, there is no obvious heir.
Late scramble, lingering doubt
That imbalance is what troubles Warnock. Liverpool tried to fix it in a rush, with a late move for Ismaila Sarr and two failed bids for Yankuba Minteh, but walked away from the window without a natural right-sided successor.
“Ultimately, yes, it could cost them,” Warnock told TEAMtalk in association with Gambler Media.
The former Liverpool defender didn’t just question the outcome. He questioned the process.
“Was there an adequate replacement that they thought could replicate what Salah was doing? I don’t think there is an adequate replacement because what Salah did was phenomenal.
“Liverpool will have a valuation on players who they are willing to reach, and I found it quite strange that they decided to go in for Ismaila Sarr so late in the transfer window, with his age and his price. However, it is understandable why they didn’t pursue that move too much, probably down to Crystal Palace’s stance on him but also his age.”
Minteh: January lifeline or another near-miss?
If there is a name that could yet rescue Liverpool’s right flank, Warnock sees it in Yankuba Minteh.
At 22, Minteh is seven years younger than Sarr and viewed as having a higher ceiling, but fitness concerns clouded Liverpool’s summer pursuit.
“Yankuba Minteh is an interesting one because you wonder whether they’d have really pushed for that move had he been fully fit,” Warnock said.
The timing is what really baffles him. Liverpool knew this moment was coming. Salah’s departure was no shock twist.
“The funny thing is that they have known for so long about Salah leaving, but they still haven’t found a replacement. I always think you should be looking two or three seasons ahead; with injuries, dips in form, you’ve always got to be thinking about who is next in line.
“I just feel like Liverpool haven’t rectified that situation, and I find it absolutely incredible to be honest. I think they possibly will go back in for Minteh in January, but there might be someone else who pops up on the radar between now and then…”
The window may reopen in January, but as Warnock points out, it’s a frantic, unforgiving market.
Semenyo and Diomande: the ones that got away?
Barcola’s arrival ended a chase that stretched back close to a year for the former PSG man. He was not, though, the first name on Liverpool’s list.
Warnock highlighted two other pursuits that now look like sliding doors moments: Antoine Semenyo and Yan Diomande.
Liverpool tracked Semenyo last January but were beaten by Manchester City, who closed a £62.5m (€73m, $84.5m) deal. Warnock cannot understand why Liverpool didn’t push harder.
“I found it really strange at the time that they didn’t buy Semenyo,” he said.
“For the price he was at, and yes, it was inflated, but he’s a proven Premier League player, an absolute powerhouse who scores goals, reliable, durable – he just ticks every single box.
“I didn’t think he’d do what he’s done at Man City so quickly; I thought it would have taken him some time to settle in, but I think Liverpool really missed out on one there.”
The pattern repeats with Minteh.
“I can see them going back in for Minteh, but it really depends on his form between now and January once he gets himself back fit, but it’s going to be very difficult as that is such a short window.”
On Diomande, Warnock sees a different kind of misstep – one of valuation rather than timing.
“Yan Diomande was one they also wanted, but having seen him at the World Cup, I’m not entirely sure he’d be the right fit for £100 million, I think £50-60 million would have been a realistic value for him, but everyone works on potential now and thinks about what they might be capable of in 10 years’ time.”
Barcola arrives under a spotlight
All of this leaves Barcola walking into a strange kind of storm. Signed for huge money, expected to help replace a legend, but operating on the opposite flank to Salah’s old territory.
The fanbase has already latched onto him. Jamie Carragher’s 14-word tweet on the Frenchman went viral, sparking a wave of amusement and excitement among Liverpool supporters.
The mood around Barcola is buoyant. The mood around the strategy? Far less so.
Liverpool have their new marquee forward. What they don’t yet have is an answer to the question that will hang over every big night at Anfield this season: who truly replaces Mohamed Salah on the right?
