Steven Gerrard reveals 'box-office' contenders to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool – including 'shining light' at West Ham
Published 25/03/2026 at 17:01 GMT
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Mohamed Salah has announced that he will be leaving Liverpool this summer. Salah has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for the club since joining in 2017 and already there is talk about who could replace him. TNT Sports experts Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves and Ally McCoist have discussed what type of player Liverpool need and who could fill the position next season.
‘Buy someone who is box office’ – Gerrard on potential Salah replacements
Video credit: TNT Sports
Who will replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool in the summer?
Salah’s are huge boots to fill after scoring 255 goals in 435 appearances since joining from Roma in 2017.
Liverpool were big spenders in the 2025 summer transfer window as they splashed a record £446 million on the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike.
But with Salah confirming his exit, Liverpool might have to spend again for a forward.
Speaking before news broke of Salah’s departure, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard told The Breakdown on TNT Sports about the type of ”box-office” player he thinks the club might try for as a potential replacement for the Egyptian.
”Liverpool will probably look for more one v one merchants who can go on the outside,” said Gerrard. ”At times this season, certainly when they had that spell when they were quite inconsistent, they were too predictable on the sides.
"And the way this manager [Arne Slot] wants to play is work it side to side to set the one v ones up. They have missed [Luis] Diaz a lot. I would say we need to address the sides of the pitch.”
Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves suggested three potential replacements for Salah, including Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise.
”To replace Mo is going to be hard and cost a lot. You need somebody very special.
”I think if you’re Liverpool you have to go for ready, tried and tested, and for me that would be somebody of the calibre of Olise. If you are talking Olise on the right for Liverpool that is box office.
”[PSG’s Bradley] Barcola can play on the left and right. There is a young lad at Leipzig, [Yan] Diomande, he is only 19, he leaves people for dead.”
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Mohamed Salah has lifted trophy after trophy at Liverpool.
Image credit: Getty Images
Gerrard added: ”I would be very surprised if they are not in the market for these types of players because you have to buy someone who is box office or else you are not replacing him.
"They have to be top end, top three or four wingers in the world, to replace Mo Salah, because that is what he has been.”
Gerrard also gave his thoughts on two West Ham players as potential Salah replacements: Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen.
Summerville has developed into a key player for The Hammers, particularly since the turn of the year, while Bowen has impressed for several seasons.
”I like Summerville," said Gerrard. "He is brilliant in one v ones, he looks hungry. In a team that has struggled he has been a shining light and got better as the season has gone on.
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Highlights: Liverpool cruise into quarters as Salah scores landmark goal
Video credit: TNT Sports
”I really like Bowen and think he is a top player but I am not sure he is Salah’s level to replace him.”
Salah is third on Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorers chart behind Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).
Although his form has dipped this season and he has been dropped from the side at times, Gerrard said: ”He has been mind-blowing in terms of consistency and his numbers, definitely in the conversation for being the best Premier League player ever.”
German outlet BILD have reported that Liverpool could be willing to spend big to get Olise this summer.
However, Ally McCoist thinks Bowen could be an option instead of Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon.
”I like Anthony Gordon but I’m not sure his overall quality would entice Liverpool. I think with his pace it is suited to play against teams with a higher line.
”I think somebody like Jarrod Bowen could play there. He has been an outstanding player at West Ham. I firmly believe with a team like Liverpool I think his game could go up again.”
Liverpool next play on Saturday, April 4, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, when they face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
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