Salah’s 200M Liverpool exit will affect ARSENAL in THREE ways which are not good at all for the club- Arsenal could be set to work hands in hands with Liverpool for a possible solution

THREE things that will definitely happen to ARSENAL if Mohamed Salah leaves Liverpool in a sensational 200M swoop

Mohamed Salah is subject to a potential £200million exit from Liverpool with the move expected to have a number of impacts on Arsenal should it occur

The summer transfer window of 2023 brought with it the realisation of the presence of Saudi Arabia’s push to raise their Pro League to the highest of heights in the game. With names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema now in the league’s biggest sides, clubs like Arsenal are having to take notice of the financial might the nation possesses.

Liverpool, however, are facing the potential reality of losing their star man Mohamed Salah before the deadline on Thursday, September 7.

Al Ittihad have already had one offer of £150million rejected by the Merseyside club however reports suggest that another improved offer ,which could be as high as £200million, could be coming soon.

If so, could Liverpool really afford to turn down such a bid for a player who turns 32 next year? If they do decide to accept, the move is sure to send shockwaves through the game and inevitably have some impact on Arsenal as football.london runs through all the impacts of the move on the Gunners.

The most obvious one to begin with is Liverpool being weakened by the loss of the Egyptian international. Salah is the current starting right winger and while Liverpool have a number of quality forwards, their options for the right flank are far less obvious.

Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are comfortable either through the middle or on the left. Jota has played on the right but the output pales to that of Salah’s.

Arsenal face the Reds at Anfield on Saturday, December 23, although the fixture is at the risk of being rescheduled once the games for the Christmas period are sorted by broadcasters.

Either way, with the January window just a week away, Arsenal would be facing a Liverpool side without their man but perhaps having had time to adjust to his absence.

Bukayo Saka targeted

With Salah gone, Liverpool may want to find a quality replacement for him. The other option for world’s best right winger would naturally be Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.

Former Gunner Paul Merson said on Sky Sports that he would accept the Al Ittihad offer and make a move for Saka. He said: “Do they sell him [Salah] for £200 million and then in January see if they can get Saka from Arsenal for 150?

“I’m thinking, one person’s 31, if I can get £200 million who’s the next one in line? Who’s going to be the next big thing?

“Who’s the next one in line? It’s definitely Saka, he’s the best right winger about after Salah.”

His words certainly sparked outrage among Arsenal fans and for good reason. Yet it would be naïve to think Liverpool wouldn’t consider using that huge amount of money to target the England international – although Arsenal will be thankful they’ve just signed Saka up to a brand new bumper contract.

Everyone is vulnerable

If Salah can go, then so could anyone surely? The money that the Saudi Arabian sides are willing to offer players goes beyond anything we’ve seen before from the likes of China and Russia, when they aimed to take some of the top players from Europe’s big leagues.

Gareth Southgate has shown with his England call-up of Jordan Henderson that he is willing to call upon players plying their trade in Saudi Arabia. Al Nassr’s Aymeric Laporte has been called up by Spain, Al Hilal’s Neymar has been called up by Brazil and the list doesn’t end there.

Antonio Conte famously left Andrea Pirlo and Sebastian Giovinco out of his Italy squad ahead of Euro 2016 because they were playing in MLS. But that seems not to have been taken on by international coaches in 2023.

Arsenal seeing Salah leave will certainly have them on guard for approaches for their best players. For some, like perhaps Thomas Partey, it could be an opportunity to get big money for a player they see as surplus to requirements next summer, but there will certainly be fear some younger, more integral stars, could be tempted away by the money.