Olaleye Idowu
Saudi Pro League club Al Kholood’s owner, Ben Harburg, has rejected talks about Mohamed Salah moving to the league, insisting the Egyptian is not a fit for the Saudi top flight.
Harburg said that the Liverpool legend is not a team player, adding that the player’s recent outbursts have exposed him.
Harburg told reporters that clubs in the SPL are already pushing to sign the Egyptian, but he maintained that the former Chelsea winger won’t be the ideal move to benefit the league.
The football administrator sees Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr as a better move and not Salah, who has retirement staring at him.
He said via Football 365, as quoted by Sportskeeda, “I do think there’s already, even amongst the public, much more apprehension around his coming into the league.
“He’s 33 years old, he got paid a boatload a year or so ago, whatever it was, and has underperformed massively since then. He doesn’t strike me as a great team player.
“As an owner, when I look at the way he behaved there … if a player isn’t performing, they’re not going to be in the starting lineup.
“We don’t put people in the starting lineup based on what they did three seasons ago or even last season.
“All that, to me, combines for a fairly toxic combination of factors. So I would rather he not come here.
“I’m sure some people like his star power; he’s from the region, but my sentiment is that he is not a fit for our league. I would rather, if it were between him and Vinicius, I’d take Vinicius.
Reports in England suggest that Salah may have played his last game for Liverpool as he is no longer in the plans of manager Arne Slot for the rest of the season.
