Trophy haul will help Salah’s Ballon d’Or bid, says boss Slot

Mohamed Salah’s statistics this season are off the charts but his hopes of winning the next Ballon d’Or could hinge on how much silverware Liverpool scoop up this season, manager Arne Slot said on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Egyptian is enjoying arguably the best season of his career with 25 Premier league goals already as Liverpool close in on the title.

Liverpool are also in the League Cup final and are amongst the favourites to win the Champions League having finished top of the expanded group phase.

No African player has won the Ballon d’Or since George Weah in 1995 and no Liverpool player has won soccer’s top individual award since Michael Owen in 2001, since when only twice has it gone to a player from an English club.

Salah’s incredible form has put him in the frame to follow Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) in 2008 and Manchester City’s Rodri last year.

“It’s a good thing that Mo is in the discussion because it means he is doing well and we are doing well but for him to stay in that discussion he should bring in the same performances as he’s done for seven or eight months now,” Slot told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s home clash with Newcastle United.

“I think in general someone who wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well so it’s a great challenge that is in front of us and in front of him.

“I think that is what it takes for us to have a chance of winning something and if we as a team can win something, he will have a far better chance to win the Ballon d’Or.”

Salah, who is yet to agree a contract extension beyond the current season, has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season, the fifth time he has reached that number since joining Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017.

He scored one and assisted another in the 2-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday that put Liverpool 11 points clear of Arsenal having played a game more

While some suggested the title race is over, Slot remains cautious and knows fifth-placed Newcastle, who they also face in the League Cup final next month, are dangerous, especially with in-form striker Alexander Isak.

“It’s an under-statement to say he’s in fine form, he is in excellent form,” Slot said of the Swede.

“(Our) team performance will help control him. The more ball possession we have the more we can control him although he is dangerous on counter-attacks.

“We have two very good centre backs, which is what you need when you face the quality of Isak. I like the style of play Eddie Howe has introduced, a team who has a very good game plan, very intense with or without the ball.”

Slot, who could win a treble in his first season, said there was no chance of his players getting complacent.

“I don’t think I need to even enforce that message,” the Dutchman said. “These players are so long in this competition, much longer than me, they know how tough it is.”

Meanwhile, Manchester United will cut around 150-200 more jobs as part of an overhaul to return to profitability after five years of losses, the Premier League soccer club said on Monday. The plan is in addition to 250 jobs removed last year, the club said.

The club has been restructuring and cutting costs since British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe took a 25% stake last year and took charge of soccer operations to try to revive its fortunes on the pitch.

In September, the 20-time English champions reported its fifth straight annual loss as it missed out on the lucrative European Champions League competition.

“We have lost money for the past five consecutive years. This cannot continue,” CEO Omar Berrada said in a statement.

The restructuring plan includes an end to free lunches for staff in the Old Trafford canteen to save more than 1 million pounds ($1.26 million) a year, a source close to the club told Reuters.

Some staff will move from Old Trafford to the new training facility at Carrington near Manchester and all the club’s leadership will be based in Manchester, the source said.

Agencies