Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders warned that Egyptian star Mohamed Salah might be negatively affected by the club’s summer transfer decisions, despite the massive spending exceeding £450 million.

The Reds completed several major signings, most notably acquiring Swedish forward Alexander Isak from Newcastle in a record deal worth £125 million, along with German Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for up to £116 million. The club also attempted to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi for £35 million, but the deal fell through at the last moment.

Despite this activity, Saunders believes Salah will be unhappy with two crucial decisions:

• The departure of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid,
• The signing of Dutch player Jeremy Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5 million as his replacement.

Saunders said on the “Aldo Meets” podcast hosted by Liverpool legend John Aldridge: “Losing Trent is a big blow. If I were Salah, I would be shocked. His disguised passes are the best in the world. Sometimes he doesn’t even look, and Salah already knows where the ball will go.”

He added: “Defenders know Salah’s style, but they can’t stop him because Trent always provided him with perfect balls behind the lines. Frimpong is fast and physical but lacks Trent’s passing accuracy. Replacing him is almost impossible.”

It is worth noting that Frimpong (24 years old) suffered a hamstring injury during the first Premier League match against Bournemouth, which prevented him from joining the Netherlands national team, and he is expected to return after the international break.