Liverpool struck gold on “world-class” star who was worth more than Palmer

Liverpool might have been crowned Premier League champions are a masterful exercise in consistency under Arne Slot’s wing this season.

It’s not yet May, but Anfield has etched number 20 onto the decorated trophy wall, restoring parity with Manchester United as the most successful club in the history of England’s top division.

It’s a remarkable feat and one which has been celebrated in front of fans (unlike the pandemic-affected 2019/20 title), Sunday’s gold-sealing win over Tottenham Hotspur marked indelibly in the minds of Reds supporters all across the globe.

The earlyness of Liverpool’s triumph has been further illustrated by the perennial emergence of the transfer circus, with bemusing rumours usually appearing at this early stage.

Indeed, with the market still a way away, surprising rumours have emerged linking Liverpool with Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.

Surprise links to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer

Just imagine, for one moment, Liverpool were to sign Palmer this summer. The England international burst emphatically onto the scene last year and fast-tracked his way to elite status.

According to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips, Liverpool have been keeping an eye on the 22-year-old recently as they weigh up a bid. While such a claim should be taken with a pinch of salt, Chelsea are facing the possibility of a second successive season without Champions League football, and Palmer may not fancy another term in the continental sphere’s second string.

A diamond among coals at Stamford Bridge, Palmer has been a revelation since joining from Manchester City in a £42.5m deal back in August 2023, crowned the PFA Young Player of the Year for 2023/24 after his stunning breakout year under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, he’s met the cold face of adversity this season, with 2025 proving most unkind to the up-and-comer so far.

Chelsea’s supreme attacking outlet has dried up like a pool in the desert over the past several months, the weekend’s action taking Palmer’s drought to 17 matches in all competitions, but last season’s success was no mere mirage.

This dynamic attacking midfielder is a joy to watch, still, even after such dreary individual results of late, boasting a considerable haul of 39 goals from 85 Chelsea matches, with 24 assists to boot.

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher even went as far as to claim the 22-year-old is the “best player in the Premier League” back in October, though most of a Liverpool persuasion would sternly refute that take.

That’s because Mohamed Salah still plies his trade on Merseyside, the club’s definitive jackpot signing through their most auspicious era in modern history.

Liverpool hit their biggest jackpot on Mo Salah

At this point, it’s not a bold opinion to determine Salah as one of the greatest players in the history of the Premier League.

The Egypt superstar’s goal against Tottenham at the weekend, among all other things, sealed his undisputed spot in the division’s top-five scorers of all time, moving in front of Sergio Aguero.

It’s not bad, it’s really not. Liverpool signed Salah from AS Roma in a £34m package back in July 2017. His reputation on English shores was that of a Chelsea reject, much like Kevin De Bruyne, in failing to prove his worth in west London.

Neither has done too badly since. Salah, all told, has scored 244 goals and laid on 113 assists across 397 appearances. That’s a contribution rate of 0.90 per game. Luis Suarez, for context, wrapped up his Liverpool career with goal involvements struck every 0.86 games.

This is the calibre of player we are talking about, not just “world-class” – as he has been described by rivals such as Roy Keane – who can do little but gawp at his output, his doggedness, but something beyond world-class, something eternal.

Liverpool might be curious about Palmer’s situation at Chelsea, but CIES Football Observatory record that the rangy ace boasts a transfer value of £116m, and would FSG be willing to fork out such a hefty sum?

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Has Palmer, having fallen off a proverbial cliff in recent months, actually proven over so many years his ability to maintain ridiculous levels – like Salah?

There’s no question that Salah is a hall-of-famer, potentially even taking one of the 11 exclusive seats that make up the greatest starting line-up in Premier League history. A contentious, insoluble debate, but one in which Salah’s case has legs aplenty.

The very fact that the 32-year-old took to X (formerly Twitter) and laid down the expectations after falling short last season bespeaks his peerless mentality, taking the heavy responsibility on his shoulders this year and marching Liverpool toward the prized title.

To think that FSG could have sold him when Saudi suitors came a-calling back in 2023. Salah was approached by Al-Ittihad after a disappointing Liverpool campaign in 2022/23, with the affluent outfit offering a jaw-dropping £150m payment to make the forward the Saudi Pro League’s figurehead.

Credit where credit’s due, Liverpool’s owners didn’t cave in to the financial temptation, instead recognising the unmatched talent Salah brings to the table.

Now that he’s renewed his deal, Salah may well boast a similar value, should the Gulf side turn up again, but it goes to show that this right-sided star is something special, something beyond even that of Palmer, who hasn’t yet scratched the surface of the almighty level Salah has reached over many years of Anfield service.

Salah might turn 33 this summer, but who can claim he’s not as sharp as ever? Slot’s design has reenergised the veteran, allowing him to focus less on defensive duties, on covering, typically, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and instead to maximise his focal presence.

He’s done that and more. Salah is greatness. He is Liverpool’s greatest triumph of an era laden with title wins, historic moments and a closely-knit connection between those on the field and those in the stands, on their sofas, in the bars.

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