Salah: “I can play anywhere up front”

We’re still basking in the warm glow of Mohamed Salah’s transfer to Liverpool. After a somewhat tepid start to the transfer window, and the absolute disaster I’ve decided to call #Virgilshambles, getting someone of Salah’s caliber to put pen to paper was a very welcome development.

Preseason training for Liverpool starts in a couple weeks. Once the hard work of preparing for the new season begins in earnest, the warm glow will cool somewhat and some hard, practical questions will need answering. Namely: how is Salah going to fit in this squad?

Salah, at least, seems to have an answer for that. Anywhere he needs to be.

“Last season with Roma we played five at the back and two strikers; I was a second striker, like a number 10,” Salah said. “I have played on the right. Sometimes I go on the left. I can play anywhere up front.”

He also pointed to his steady improvement since his brief time at Chelsea, where he was handed only six starts before being dumped out on loan to Fiorentina.

“I have improved 100 percent. Everything (has improved). Even my personality was different. I was a kid (at Chelsea). I was 20 or 21. Now I'm four years older and everything is different. I have lots of experience in three clubs.”

Salah noted that his desire to move to Liverpool was motivated by the ambition he saw in a team that’s chomping at the bit for more silverware.

“Liverpool haven't won the Premier League for a long time. We have a great team and very good players. I was watching the games last year and everyone was giving 100 percent to win something. Everyone can see the coach gives everything. I hope to see that, together, we can give everything to win something for the club, for the supporters and for us.”

One thing’s for sure— Salah isn’t coming here to collect a paycheck.