January is now almost upon us for Liverpool and while much of the focus will be on reopening the transfer window, Jurgen Klopp is not solely focused on that. There will be arrivals and departures whether there is business in Liverpool or not.
One player guaranteed to leave Anfield is Mohamed Salah.It won’t be permanent (although it can’t be ruled out given Saudi Arabia’s strong interest), but it will be a temporary departure from the national team as the Africa Cup of Nations is set to return.
The tournament is hosted by Ivory Coast and coincides with the Premier League’s winter break. That means if the Egyptian side fail to progress from the group stage, Salah will miss just one game – against Liverpool Bournemouth on January 13.However, with Egypt playing Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique, such a scenario is unlikely. Especially since the top four teams also qualify for the playoffs.
Given the rankings of other teams, Egypt is much more likely to finish second or first. Ghana’s men and Salah are the two favorites to complete the squad. This means that if Egypt win their group or finish second in Group F, which also includes Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Salah will face one of the third-best teams.Egypt are likely to drop to third in the group stage. Cape Verde are a tough team to beat and one that has caused quite a stir in the past, including a draw with Morocco in the summer and qualifying with 10 points from six games.Liverpool will be hoping Mohamed Salah doesn’t miss his AFCON opportunity for long.
If Cape Verde somehow pulls off a comeback, Egypt will likely finish third and be eliminated against Senegal. This is a repeat of the World Cup final and playoff match between the two teams two years ago. This gives Salah the chance to exact revenge on his former Liverpool team-mate in Sadio Mane.
But this could be Mane’s chance to give his former side a much-needed boost by bringing Egypt back to his homeland and Salah back to Liverpool. The Round of 16 is scheduled to take place on January 29. Liverpool face Chelsea on the evening of January 31, meaning Salah could be at least partially involved in that game. A few days later, on February 3, he is set to face Arsenal. Salah hopes he can lead Egypt to the final again.
Liverpool have other high-profile strikers, but Salah’s move is likely to be as short-term as possible.
