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Liverpool’s Next Chapter After Salah: Hughes Draws Up Forward Shortlist
Liverpool have spent the better part of a decade living in the slipstream of Mohamed Salah’s brilliance, and the thought of life after him still feels faintly unreal. Yet football, as it always does, moves on. According to the original source Sport France, sporting director Richard Hughes has identified a “five-man shortlist” of Salah replacements should the Egyptian King depart Anfield this summer.
The suggestion is that bids from Saudi Arabia could tempt Liverpool into a decision that once felt unthinkable. And while Salah’s contract remains lucrative, form, age and the ruthless arithmetic of squad evolution mean succession planning is not merely sensible, it is essential.
Liverpool Weigh Salah Replacements
No player of Salah’s stature is replaced in the literal sense. You do not swap a talisman who delivered goals like clockwork for another with a neat price tag and expect history to repeat itself. Liverpool are instead searching for attacking profiles who can redefine the right flank in their own image.
Michael Olise is a name that is expected to be at the top of the list, yet attention also turns to younger options capable of growth within Arne Slot’s system. The article claims Hughes has a “Plan B” featuring names that blend flair with potential resale value. Liverpool’s recruitment model is not sentimental; it is forensic. They seek players who can press, carry the ball at pace, and produce in tight spaces.
Replacing Salah is not merely tactical. It is emotional, commercial, cultural. Anfield has watched legends leave before – from Kenny Dalglish’s playing days to Steven Gerrard’s farewell. Each time, the club endured because identity runs deeper than any one name.
Diomande and Barcola Options on Radar
Among the Salah replacements under discussion, two names stand out for their raw, explosive promise: Diomande and Barcola.
Yan Diomande, only 19, is said to be well established as a Liverpool target. His pace and directness fit the Premier League’s tempo, and his ceiling is vast. He is not the finished article, but Liverpool have rarely bought perfection; they buy possibility.
Bradley Barcola, meanwhile, offers a different appeal. The France international has struggled for consistent starts at Paris Saint-Germain, yet flashes of brilliance suggest a winger waiting for a stage. As reported by Anfield Watch, Barcola “might be a more achievable target” given his desire for minutes.
These are not glamour signings in the old sense. They are investments in tomorrow. Liverpool know that wide forwards must do more than dribble; they must press defenders, recover possession, and keep the tempo honest. Diomande and Barcola fit that modern template.
Doue Brings Creativity to Shortlist
Desire Doue has long been admired by Liverpool scouts, dating back to his Rennes days. His inclusion among the Salah replacements underlines the club’s fascination with versatile attackers who can drift between lines.
Injury interruptions have limited his starts this season, but the Frenchman’s technique and vision are beyond doubt. Doue’s capacity to play centrally or wide offers tactical flexibility that Slot values. If Liverpool are to reinvent their attack, they need players who can unlock defences in multiple ways.
Doue represents imagination. Barcola offers thrust. Diomande provides youth and fearlessness. Each carries risk, but risk is inherent in renewal.
Transfer Strategy Signals Post-Salah Era
This shortlist tells a broader story. Liverpool are not panicking; they are planning. Hughes has inherited a squad in transition and must balance finances with ambition.
Saudi Pro League clubs Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah remain keen on Salah. If the bids arrive, Liverpool will weigh legacy against opportunity. No club survives by clinging to yesterday.
Yet whatever comes next, Salah’s imprint will endure. His goals lifted Liverpool to European glory and domestic triumph. The next wave must write their own chapter.
Football rarely grants fairy-tale endings. It demands reinvention, courage and foresight. Liverpool have built an empire on those principles before. Now, with Diomande and Barcola, Doue and others in view, they prepare to do it again.