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Andoni Iraola is clear-eyed about it: Liverpool "definitely need to sign a winger" nearly two months after Mohamed Salah played his last match for the club. With less than a month remaining before the new Premier League season kicks off, the Anfield icon has yet to be replaced.
But finding another Salah is simply not possible. A disappointing final campaign was the first time in nine years as a Liverpool player that he had failed to reach at least 20 goals across all competitions. He combined creativity with goalscoring — a rare combination at such a consistently high level of output.
That makes a straightforward like-for-like replacement highly unlikely.
Víctor Muñoz has already joined from Osasuna to operate on the left, either as competition for Cody Gakpo or as his successor in the high-intensity pressing system demanded by Iraola.
Liverpool had been linked with Yan Diomande for the right flank, though the teenager is capable of operating on either side. However, a nine-figure asking price in the region of $114 million and a reported preference for Paris Saint-Germain has made pursuing the Ivorian extremely challenging.
PSG's Bradley Barcola has also been mentioned, but he is widely regarded as a left winger. Beyond Muñoz and Gakpo, Liverpool also have teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha on that side of the pitch and risk stifling his development with too much competition.
Maghnes Akliouche appears to be a more logical fit. The Monaco star is more naturally suited to the right wing and even shares similarities with Salah in that he cuts inside onto his preferred left foot. He is a target for PSG — which is itself a strong endorsement — and is expected to cost considerably less than someone like Diomande, with estimates hovering around $57 million (€50 million).
Sky Sports reports that Liverpool have made an "initial approach" for Akliouche, in the form of an inquiry into his availability this summer. No formal offer has been submitted beyond an attempt to determine whether Monaco would sell and at what price, but PSG have already had "several" bids rejected. The highest offer to date is believed to be worth $45.5 million (€40 million).
Liverpool's New Tactics Will Patch Salah Hole
Even as a left-footed right winger, Akliouche is not Salah 2.0. His game leans more toward creativity than goalscoring, making him more likely to set up a goal for the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitiké or Florian Wirtz than find the net himself.
Last season across Ligue 1 and the Champions League, he registered seven goals and 10 assists.
Like Muñoz, Akliouche would suit Iraola's out-of-possession tactical structure, as someone who regularly wins the ball in the attacking third. That stands in contrast to the later version of Salah, who had begun to resemble Lionel Messi in that he rarely tracked back and increasingly reserved his energy for offensive moments.
Acknowledging that Salah cannot truly be replaced, a shift in approach appears to be on the horizon, aligned with the tactical philosophy championed by Iraola. With industrious, creative wingers in place, the bulk of Liverpool's goals could once again fall to a central striker — echoing the eras of Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and Fernando Torres. Ekitiké was the team's leading scorer with 17 goals last season, largely a reflection of the team's overall reduced output, but the last time a Liverpool center forward truly led the attack was Luis Suárez during the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons.
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With Isak back to full fitness after a difficult debut campaign, the Swede should be well positioned to benefit given his prior output at Newcastle United — provided he can stay healthy.
We may also see more goals from Wirtz. The German had developed a habit of scoring double-digit goals in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, yet managed only five in the Premier League last season. There was considerable debate over whether he could coexist with Salah, and the latter's exit could actually free Wirtz to perform in the No. 10 role in a way Liverpool have not yet witnessed.