Rising Stars vs. Established Legends: Can the New Wave Dethrone Salah?
Could Johan Bakayoko Be the successor of Mohamed Salah?
In the world of football established stars like Mohamed Salah set the benchmark for emerging talents. Salah, the “Egyptian King”, is reigning in the Premier League with his impressive stats in both creative and goal-scoring metrics.
Is the Reign of the ‘Egyptian King’ Under Threat?
According to FBref, Salah is in the 99th percentile for expected assists (xAG) and ranks highly for non-penalty expected goals (non-penalty xG).
Also, he has an average of 8.9 touches per 90 minutes in the opposing penalty area, reflecting his constant threat in front of goal.
Could Bakayoko Be the Next Salah?
However, there is always a new wave of talent eager to make their mark. One such emerging talent is the PSV forward Johan Bakayoko. The 21-year-old still has some way to go to reach those dizzying heights of Salah.
The PSV man is sitting in the 94th percentile at 6.35 touches per 90 compared to Salah’s 8.90. he has registered 28 goal contributions in 48 games for the Rood-written this term.
PSV are expected to demand around £42.59m for Bakayoko this summer. Many top footballing outfits including Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund are interested in the Belgian’s signature.
“Earlier this week it was announced that the 21-year-old Belgian is on the list of Liverpool and a number of other clubs.
Borussia Dortmund has also been on the line before.
That club probably will not pay what PSV has in mind for Bakayoko, which should in any case yield around 50 million euros.”
The Eindhovens Dagblad journalist wrote.
“Despite a two-year contract, that does not even seem to be the absolute top prize, because Bakayoko is on the scouting list of almost all European top clubs.
A lot may also depend on the European Championship that Bakayoko plays with the Red Devils in the coming weeks.
If he explodes there in a figurative sense, things can still go fast.”
We can safely say that Liverpool will not be keen to depart from a long-term strategy of signing players between the age of 20-25. Bakayoko perfectly fits Liverpool’s demands and the bill.
While Salah’s position remains largely unchallenged for now, Bakayoko wouldn’t cost the earth at this point of time.
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