Jarrod Bowen, Johan Bakayoko and Arne Slot wildcard – potential Mohamed Salah replacements for Liverpool

With just a year left on his current contract, Liverpool should plan for life beyond Mohamed Salah.

The player and the club expect the Egyptian star to be at Anfield next season, but despite this, Salah, who turns 32 in June, will leave as soon as possible and Liverpool will have to plan for contingencies.

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Here, WhoScored.com has selected six right wingers that the Reds could target to succeed Salah on Merseyside.

Jarrod Bowen – West Ham

Jurgen Klopp has already praised Jarrod Bowen, although his opinion won’t mean much later with the German leaving at the end of the season.

Nonetheless, Bowen once again gave an excellent account of himself in West Ham’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool last weekend.

The England international scored one and assisted another in the deadlock, returning a WhoScored.com rating of 8.43.

The 27-year-old is also a versatile operator, and his ability to play out wide and through the middle would certainly appeal to new head coach Arne Slot.

With 16 goals and six assists to his name, there is a proven Premier League pedigree that would help the Dutchman settle in at Anfield.

He is also a potential Euro 2024 impact player for England, although this could potentially increase his transfer fee.

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Mohammed Kudus – West Ham

Bowen isn’t the only West Ham striker Liverpool should keep an eye on this summer.

Mohammed Kudus only moved to east London from Ajax last year but has quickly established himself as a key man for the Hammers. And his form at the London Stadium has certainly caught the eye.

West Ham could struggle to retain the 23-year-old’s services this offseason, especially if Kudus is seen as the ideal long-term successor to Mohamed Salah.

The Ghanaian star has completed more dribbles (103) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, making him a more direct attacking threat than the Egyptian striker.

Kudus is also capable of playing a number of roles that the Merseyside side might find appealing.

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Johan Bakayoko – PSV

Arne Slot, however, might choose to look a little closer to home in a possible pursuit of a right winger, or at least put pressure on Michael Edwards to do so.

In this specific case, Johan Bakayoko would tick the right boxes in his potential quest for Salah’s successor.

The 21-year-old has been a revelation for champions-elect PSV this season, scoring 11 goals and providing nine assists. A WhoScored.com rating of 7.74 is the third best in the Eredivisie.

Like Kudus, Bakayoko is a more direct attacking threat than Salah, and he also has a good end product to his game when beating a man.

The Belgian ranks second for dribbles (87) and fourth for key passes (63) in Dutch football’s top flight.

Although his game needs some fine-tuning, the future is bright for Bakayoko, who shows the same desire as Salah to cut in from the right and score.

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Yankuba Minteh – Feyenoord, on loan from Newcastle

Well aware of Arne Slot’s demands, Yankuba Minteh would prove to be a bit of a wildcard option for Liverpool.

The 19-year-old has excelled for Feyenoord this season, having scored nine goals and provided five assists despite only 1,365 league minutes for the Dutch side.

It is also crucial that Minteh chooses to cut in from the right to score, with six of his nine goals coming with his left foot.

Additionally, when he cuts inside, Minteh is difficult to stop.

A total of 55 dribbles ranks him sixth in the Eredivisie, despite a lack of regular minutes, while the Gambia international also works tirelessly with the ball, as evidenced by an average of 2.8 tackles per 90.

One sticking point, however, will be that Minteh is currently on loan from Newcastle and they will be keen to retain his services given his good form this season.

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Bryan Mbeumo – Brentford

It’s no coincidence that Brentford’s form improved once Bryan Mbeumo regained fitness.

Although much has been made of Ivan Toney’s return to action following his ban, Mbeumo has proven to be the Bees’ most important striker.

The Cameroon international has been out for a long period due to injury and it is no coincidence that Brentford’s performances have nosedived in his absence.

Mbeumo has scored eight times and provided five assists for Thomas Frank’s side this season, earning him a better WhoScored.com rating (7.03) than any other west London player.

Toney will likely dominate the gossip columns this summer, but it’s his Brentford teammate who deserves the fanfare.

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Matias Soule – Frosinone, on loan from Juventus

While managerial uncertainty in Turin could impact whether Juventus can cash in on Matias Soule this summer, the Argentine has been exceptional during his loan spell at Frosinone.

The 21-year-old scored 11 times and provided a further three assists for the relegation-threatened Italian side and his performances under Eusebio Di Francesco have not gone unnoticed.

The 21-year-old has completed more dribbles (90) than any other player in Italy’s top flight this season and, like so many other right wingers, is keen to cut inside when receiving the ball, thus opening up space that can be exploited by marauding full-backs.

Of course, if Max Allegri is let go at the end of the season, the new man may well look to use Soule, but he is a man that Liverpool, among others, should keep an eye on.

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