Mohamed Salah says he is getting extra motivation to win the Premier League from believing this is his “last year” at Liverpool and wanting to finally celebrate a title win with the club’s fans.
Liverpool claimed their first league crown for 30 years in 2020, with Salah playing a key role, but COVID-19 pandemic restrictions meant fans were not in the stadium for the final games of that season.
The Merseyside club have missed out on subsequent titles to Manchester City but are now six points clear of second-placed Arsenal heading into the second half of the campaign.
Salah has made a habit of writing down his goals for the new campaign while on holiday before every season. The Champions League has often topped his list but last summer, the Premier League took priority.
“The first thing on the list was to win the Premier League with Liverpool,” Salah told Sky Sports. “If you see my interviews for the past seven years I always say Champions League but this season is the first time I would I really want to win the Premier League with Liverpool.
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“We didn’t celebrate the one we won with the club the way we wanted. It’s my last year at the club so I want to do something special for the city. That was the thing in my head.
“We were waiting for that title for 30 years so to win it, it was the pandemic and we didn’t have time to really celebrate it in the right way so it’s not a nice thing to do so hopefully we can do it this year.”
Salah’s observation that this is his “last year” at Liverpool was the latest occasion the Egypt international has referenced his ongoing contract stand-off with the club.
The 32-year-old has entered the final six months of his current deal and is now permitted to talk to and sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs.
Asked by Sky whether there was an update on his situation, he replied: “There is no progress there. We are far away from any progress so we just need to wait and see.”
Salah has not allowed that uncertainty to affect him on the pitch. He has provided 30 goal contributions (17 goals and 13 assists) in 18 Premier League appearances this season.
“In my head, if this is my last six months or last year, what do you want to see in the future?” Salah continued.
“Do you want to look back and say I was concerned or stressed about the contract or say I had an unbelievable season? That’s in my head now.”
Liverpool return to action against Manchester United on Sunday.
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
