At 25, Mohamed Salah is entering the peak of his career and there’s no better time to snap him up.
The Egyptian is expected to sign with Liverpool this summer for a fee in the region of 35 million but if he truly has matured into an efficient attacker like he’s show in his latest season at AS Roma, it could prove to be a bargain.
Salah possesses blistering pace and has added several goals and assists to his game of the last couple of seasons.
He’s emerged as Roma’s chief threat despite the goal-scoring exploits of Edin Dzeko and is now primed to take the next step in his career.
While his stint in the Premier League with Chelsea under Jose Mourinho may have come a bit too early, he’s now more equipped to deal with the demands of the league and could follow Kevin De Bruyne’s foot steps if he proves himself in his second coming.
Here, we look at seven key stats that you should be aware of ahead of his arrival.
CREATIVE FORCE
He’s created 134 chances in Serie A since joining AS Roma in 2015, more than any other player at the club. He also secured the most chances in the past season alone, registering 71 in the 2016-17 league campaign.
He finished last season with the most assists in the league (11) while coming in second in terms of key passes per game (2.3).
MORE EFFECTIVE
Salah is know for his quick feet and burst of pace but it may surprise a few to learn that he is far from the top dribblers in Serie A. In fact, he’s ranked 52nd in that regard with only 1.2 dribbles per game while front-runner Felipe Anderson boasts an average of 3.3 per outing!
However, it’s worth noting that Salah also managed similar figures previously but since curbing his natural instinct to take on all comers, he’s grown into a far more efficient player.
He averaged 2.4 dribbles per game in Serie A in the 2014-15 season while on loan to Fiorentina from Chelsea, scoring six goals and providing three assists. The following season that figure dipped further to 1.6 dribbles per game with AS Roma but he registered 14 goals and six assists. In his most recent campaign, he managed the fewest dribbles but scored 15 goals and set up 11 more.
SEARING PACE
It’s no secret that Salah is quick across the grass but his speed was put into perspective a beIN SPORTS analysis. They deduced that the Egyptian covered 70 metres in a mere seven seconds and therefore claim that he could finish a 100 metre dash in under 10 seconds.
That would put him among the top sprinters in the world. He is said to have reached a top speed of 35.4 km/h despite running across humid grass which is supposed to offer more resistance.
MATCHING MANE
Sadio Mane is the kind of explosive force that has epitomised Jurgen Klopp’s philosophy of swift attacking bursts and Salah’s inclusion would only compliment the Senegalese’s efforts on the opposite flank. While the 25-year-old isn’t going to beat player after player with similar frequency anymore, he does offer a threat in behind the defence and will be another supply line for Mane.
What his arrival would also do is take a whole lot of pressure off Liverpool’s ‘Mane Man’. While playing four league games more than Mane last season, Salah managed six more assists, two more goals and created 28 more chances than his counterpart.
LUCKY CHARM
Roma won every single Serie A game in which Salah scored last season, 11 out of 11. In fact, during his two-year spell with the Italian side, they’ve only ever lost once in the league when they’ve found the back of the net and drawn on another occasion.