Mohamed Salah’s contract: The Liverpool star’s development and impressive statistics in the Premier League demonstrate that renewing his contract was an obvious choice.

In the end, the news was hardly surprising.

For fans outside of Liverpool, it may have elicited nothing more than a raised eyebrow, but it is now official: Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract to remain at Anfield until 2027.

The journey from genuine uncertainty about whether the Egyptian would leave for free at the end of a season where Liverpool are poised to win the league, to a near-certainty that he would sign, is remarkable.

Liverpool deserve credit for recognising the implications of Salah’s potential departure. Despite being 35 by the end of this contract, he is such a special player that keeping him around is worth it, even if retaining older players is not always the most logical decision.

The data suggests it might be. This season in the Premier League, Salah has scored 27 goals and registered 17 assists, totalling a combined goals + assists (G+A) of 44. According to Opta, only twice in Premier League history has a higher G+A been achieved. Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer both reached 47 in the 1993/94 and 1994/95 seasons, respectively.

There are two particularly interesting points to consider. The first is that, if you know your Premier League history, the early seasons consisted of 42 games, not 38. Cole achieved his tally in 40 games, while Shearer played the full 42. Salah has done it so far in 31 games and can still complete the full 38, with a strong chance of surpassing both records in far fewer matches, given that seven games remain.

The second point concerns the ages of the other big names on this list. Opta provided the top 10 seasons in Premier League history in terms of G+A, and here are the ages of those players at the end of their respective seasons:

– Andrew Cole 1993/1994: 22 years old, 47 G+A
– Alan Shearer 1994/1995: 24 years old, 47 G+A
– Thierry Henry 2002/2003: 25 years old, 44 G+A
– Erling Haaland 2022/2023: 22 years old, 44 G+A
– Mohamed Salah 2024/2025: 32 years old, 44 G+A
– Luis Suarez 2013/2014: 27 years old, 43 G+A
– Mohamed Salah 2017/2018: 25 years old, 42 G+A
– Thierry Henry 2004/2005: 27 years old, 39 G+A
– Didier Drogba 2009/2010: 32 years old, 39 G+A
– Robin van Persie 2011/2012: 28 years old, 39 G+A

The only player to achieve this above the age of 30, aside from Salah, is Didier Drogba in the 2009-10 season, who remarkably did so in just 32 matches. Salah is currently five G+A ahead of Drogba, having played one fewer game this season. He is also two G+A ahead of his tally from seven years ago, having played five games fewer.

Another intriguing aspect from this table is the assists. Salah, long known as a goalscorer, has more assists than anyone else on this list, excluding Henry’s extraordinary 2002/03 season when he registered over 20 in both goals and assists. Henry remains the only player to achieve this feat in the Premier League. With seven games to go, Salah is on course to create yet another slice of history.

In all competitions, Salah has 22 assists, marking the first time in his Liverpool career he has surpassed 20. In his first two seasons combined, he had 25, and there is a good chance he will exceed that number before the season concludes.

Salah’s evolution as a creator has been fascinating to observe. It’s worth noting that Roberto Firmino mentioned in his book that Salah’s intense focus on scoring had frustrated teammates during the early stages of his career. Being labelled in that way always felt harsh, and the numbers support that notion. However, this current Salah, older and wiser, is visibly more interested in creating opportunities for his teammates than we have seen in the past.

This is particularly interesting in light of the transfer rumours circulating around the club. It is clear that Liverpool are looking to bolster their attacking options, whether at the striker position or No. 10, or indeed both. Whether this is an effort to lighten the load on Salah or a recognition of how his game is evolving, or perhaps both, it is captivating to witness one of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers transform into a truly elite creator.

Remember this: no player across Europe – not just in England – has more than Salah’s 17 league assists this season. The next highest is Lamine Yamal with 11, a staggering six fewer. Yamal has six goals compared to Salah’s 27. Only five other players across Europe have reached double digits for assists, and none have matched Salah’s goal tally.

Salah’s first season back in England with Liverpool was nothing short of astonishing – 44 goals in all competitions at an average of 94 minutes per goal is a feat we may never see him replicate.

But here’s something amusing: in his first season across all competitions, Salah finished with 58 G+A. He has never surpassed 50 again until this season. With seven games remaining, Salah has 54 G+A in all competitions.

Another interesting statistic is that in his first season, he averaged 71 minutes for every goal or assist. Since then, he has never gone under 80 minutes per goal or assist in all competitions. This season, he is at 72 minutes.

Statistically speaking, this is almost certainly going to be one of the best, if not the best, seasons of Salah’s career.

Yes, offering a multi-year contract to any player over 30 in any sport is always a daunting prospect for management groups, but allowing Salah to leave could have been a historically poor decision.

No player has done what Salah is doing in the Premier League. He is one of a kind, and this new contract was the only logical decision.