"They will have to tinker" – John Barnes makes bold claims about Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and predicts why he will score fewer goals

Liverpool legend John Barnes has claimed that Mohamed Salah would score fewer goals next campaign as the attacker would play a supportive role than usual under Arne Slot.

Salah, 32, is deemed to be in the final phase of his career with his current contract set to run out next June. He recently assisted Dominik Szoboszlai in the Reds' 1-0 friendly victory over Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, United States on Friday (July 26).

Speaking on The Official Liverpool FC Podcast, Barnes shared his thoughts on the Egyptian's performance in his side's recent pre-season friendly win. He opined (h/t TBR):

"It seems as if Mo may play more of a supportive role in terms of being more creative. Of course, Mo plays well with a centre-forward who comes short and he makes those inward runs. You didn't see Mo make many inward runs today. He was playing a bit wider."

Sharing thoughts on how the Egyptian might perform, he concluded:

"They will have to tinker with that if you get more goals from midfield. If they don't get more goals from midfield, I think Mo will get 30 or 40 goals, but as long as they share it around it will be fine."

Salah, who is currently Liverpool's fifth highest all-time top-scorer, relished a stellar campaign for his club last term. The ex-Chelsea man scored 25 goals and laid out 14 assists in 44 appearances last season.

John Barnes believes 23-year-old could be Mohamed Salah replacement at Liverpool

Speaking to online bookmaker BettingExpert, John Barnes claimed that West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus could prove to be a successor to Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah. He said:

"Kudus was fantastic. He was sensational for West Ham last season. Even Mohammed Salah says he won't be here in three years time so that could be a role that Kudus takes on. He's young, he's dynamic, he's direct and he plays in a similar fashion to Mo."

Barnes, who helped Liverpool win two league titles, concluded:

"I think if you look at players we're targeting like Kudus and [Newcastle United star Anthony] Gordon, it shows the philosophy of the manager and the kind of players he wants at the club. I like Kudus a lot but we may have to lose some players to make way."

Kudus, 23, found the back of the net 14 times and provided six assists in 45 overall appearances for West Ham in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Reds, on the other hand, have Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Ben Doak, and Kaide Gordon as winger options in their squad now.