Liverpool announce new deal for Mo Salah 2.0
When the Egyptian King arrived at Anfield, he immediately made history. Salah was and is still the only Egyptian player to represent the Reds.
LFC Kits
Shop Now
LFC x New Era
Shop Now
LFC Signed Merch
Shop Now
LFC x Titleist
Shop Now
In fact, he's only one of just over a dozen Egyptians to play for the Reds. Others include the legendary Mido or Omar Marmoush.
Definitely, in the last decade or so more Egyptians have started to play in England's top flight and leave their mark on the game. None more so than Salah of course.
He's become an example to all and a beacon of hope. No matter your circumstances, you can achieve your dreams. For Salah, the only thing that remains is the Ballon d'Or, but with the team assembled around him, even that could be possible.
For any young Egyptian footballer, Salah is someone you look up to and idolise. This will undoubtedly be the case for Kareem Ahmed.
But he isn't just any Egyptian footballer, he's a young Egyptian footballer who plays for Liverpool.
The 18-year-old has been at Liverpool since the age of six, joining before Salah was even at the club. But since his 10th birthday, he's been able to witness Salah's exploits in a Liverpool shirt, and continue his progress in the academy ranks.
Ahmed enjoyed a solid campaign last season for the club's U18 side and even played in the UEFA Youth League. Despite the team struggling in the U18 Premier League, Ahmed stood out as one of the bright sparks in the side.
An attacking midfielder with flair and creativity, Ahmed's technical skills and vision make him an ideal player for modern football.
Now Liverpool have announced that he's signed a new contract with the club after his previous deal expired in June. Putting pen to paper on a new deal, Ahmed is now expected to join Liverpool's U21 side.
There he will be managed by newly appointed Rob Page, who had done a stellar job as the senior national team manager of Wales bringing through the likes of Brennan Johnson, Neco Williams and Ethan Ampadu.
Page's work giving those young players the platform in Wales' national team has created the environment for his successor Craig Bellamy to thrive.
The hope is that Page will be able to do a similar job at Liverpool and create a pathway from the U21s into the first team.
Ahmed will be one of those players hoping to make that journey and in the process follow in Salah's footsteps.
There's every chance, if he continues his hard-work Ahmed could become only the second Egyptian to play for the club. And in turn become Salah 2.0.
**👉 **Liverpool set to increase transfer budget by £200m 🔗
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jakorian Bennett-Thomas Booker trade grades: Who won the Eagles-Raiders deal?
The Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders just pulled off a player-for-player trade, as the Raiders sent cornerback Jakorian Bennett to the Eagles for defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV. The Eagles needed a bit more depth in the secondary, and the Raiders needed a bit more depth on the defensive line. For each player, this is a chance to press for more playing time with their new teams. However, how did these teams grade out with this player-for-player swap? As you can probably expect, there is a real winner in this, and he is not the general manager for Las Vegas. Let's grade this August NFL trade and determine who got the edge on the deal. Eagles grade Yes, the Eagles won this. Of course they did. We're not sure how the Eagles got Bennett, an ascending talent who flashed real potential with the Raiders, without having to give up any draft capital. Durability has been a bit of a concern for the third-year cornerback, but he could thrive in a rotational role and could even push to start at the second outside corner spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell. It's a little trite at this point to pull out the "How did Howie Roseman get away with this?!" sign, but this is a sweet deal for a young player pressing for a higher ceiling. Giving up only Booker, squarely a role player for the Eagles, is a steal for a player who could push for a starting job. Grade: A Raiders grade The player isn't the problem. After the team's surprise release of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, the Raiders needed more depth in the trenches. Booker earned snaps with the Eagles last year in their stacked defensive tackle room. That alone gives him a pretty good inside track to making the Las Vegas roster and earning playing time with his new team. He may well be a nice add for first-year general manager John Spytek. However, the fact that he didn't even get a low-round draft pick to go along with Booker for Bennett, the superior player who could push to start at cornerback for Philadelphia... rookie mistake. The Raiders will probably regret this deal... not for adding Booker, but for only getting a single player out of trading away a rising player on a rookie deal like Bennett. Grade: C+ This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jakorian Bennett-Thomas Booker trade grades: Who won Eagles-Raiders deal?
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Eagles, Raiders agree to trade of young defensive pieces: Sources
The Eagles have agreed to trade defensive lineman Thomas Booker IV to the Raiders for cornerback Jakorian Bennett, according to a league source and sources from both teams. The trade is contingent on physicals for both players. From the Eagles' standpoint, the deal signals how their cornerback battle, between Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson, has stagnated. Ringo has been inconsistent; he's surrendered deep completions and been flagged for pass interference with regularity throughout training camp. The Eagles know how narrow the margin of error is along the defensive perimeter; were it not for Darius Slay's reliable play in the final minutes of last year's NFC divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams, the Eagles might not have advanced to the NFC title game and gone on to win their second Super Bowl. Advertisement It's also worth noting general manager Howie Roseman's lack of significant investments at cornerback after releasing Slay. In a cost-cutting offseason, the Eagles reached an affordable one-year deal with Jackson, who'd been relegated by the New York Giants to a reserve role in 2024, and spent a fifth-round pick on Mac McWilliams. Such moves signaled a belief in Ringo's development. The cornerbacks' collective performance — and McWilliams' recent quad injury — created a sense of urgency, one that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's plan to travel Quinyon Mitchell with top receivers could not mask. Now, Ringo and Jackson must also fend off the 24-year-old Bennett, who started 11 games over the past two seasons for Las Vegas. From the Raiders' standpoint, Bennett had a rough rookie season in 2023 during which he battled multiple injuries and played poorly, but he rebounded as a starter last year. Still, he couldn't stay healthy. He suffered a torn labrum and had to undergo season-ending surgery after 10 games. The cornerback was ready to go by the time OTAs rolled around, but he quickly fell behind in the team's ongoing cornerback competition. Eric Stokes and Darien Porter handled the majority of the first-team reps while Bennett was entrenched with the backups. Then, during training camp, Bennett was also surpassed by Decamerion Richardson. 'It's nothing that I haven't been through before, you know?' Bennett said last week. 'I always had to get out the mud, you know. And, man, that's nothing I shy away from. That's who I am. I like to persevere. I like to be resilient, and that's when I see the best JB, when I'm just focused on me, focused on just being present and just controlling what I can control at the end of the day.' Stokes, Porter and Richardson all have something that Bennett can't match: size. They fit coach Pete Carroll's archetype for cornerbacks — tall, long and fast. Although Bennett is plenty fast and was practicing well, he's only 5-foot-11. Once it became clear that Bennett likely wasn't going to be in the rotation (barring an injury to one of the other corners), the Raiders decided to move on. Advertisement Booker, 25, gives them another body to potentially replace Christian Wilkins. The Raiders released Wilkins last month without having much on the roster in terms of proven contributors on the interior defensive line. Booker is a bet on potential; the 6-foot-3, 301-pounder was a fifth-round pick of the Texans in 2022, but Houston released him after just one season. The Eagles signed Booker to the practice squad before the 2023 season, and he earned a roster spot last year, appearing in all 17 games and finishing with 18 tackles and one sack on a crowded D-line. He could see more opportunities with the Raiders. (Photo of Jakorian Bennett: Steve Marcus / Getty Images)
Forbes
25 minutes ago
- Forbes
Gripping India-England Series Underlines Urgency To Keep Test Cricket Alive
A typically gray Monday morning in London was aroused by one of the greatest finishes in the 148-year history of Test cricket, the sport's traditional five-day format that feels like a relic to a quieter time but still ensures despite uncertainties over its future. Naturally a lot of time is invested in a game that lasts the equivalent of a working week. And a lot of that time can feel wasted, many days where you question watching something so tedious and out of touch with the sugar hits of modern life. But sometimes Test cricket throws up something so gripping that it is unrivalled by any other sport. When there is a tense finish, the intrinsic slowness heightens the excitement and makes every delivery so nerve-jangling that you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. There is a payoff in Test cricket that trumps its knockoff shorter versions. And so a riveting five-Test series between England and India at the Oval just had to finish this way. It was delicately poised by the end of day four, with all results possible, and what ensued will never be forgotten. In front of a tense sold out crowd, many of who were supporting the tourists, India pulled off their smallest margin of victory in Test cricket to deservedly draw the series 2-2. They won by six runs after workhorse quick Mohammed Siraj - who was inspired by his hero Ronaldo - completed one of the most indefatigable performances seen on a cricket field when he clean bowled Gus Atkinson, who had threatened an improbable late heist for England. There were also stirring scenes of an incapacitated Chris Woakes bravely coming out to bat at No.11 with his playing attire covering his left arm in a sling due to a dislocated shoulder. Woakes was likely to bat one-handed and wrong-sided - picture a table tennis player - but did not end up facing a delivery He did grimace on every run to add to the incredible drama. It was probably the best Test match and series played since the legendary 2005 Ashes, an iconic series that captured Australia and England far beyond traditional cricket fan bases. The 25-day series ended with 56 minutes of sheer suspense that David Fincher couldn't even concoct from the director's chair. While Test cricket continues to flourish among cricket's power three - it remains the cornerstone of billion-dollar broadcast deals in Australia and England - the format's future is unclear beyond them. A working group among the sport's most powerful administrators is being formed to address major issues in cricket, including Test cricket's future. As I reported last month, representatives from the big three are likely to be part of the working group led by New Zealander Roger Twose. The chiefs from smaller Full Member Zimbabwe and Associate nation Namibia - countries who have hosting duties at the 2027 World Cup - are also on the working group, it is learned. Twose has already done some of the grunt work having helmed smaller working groups that have looked into thorny issues such as the Future Tour Programme and playing opportunities for smaller countries often shunned by the power trio. Perhaps the biggest issue facing the working group will be a radical plan to split the 12 Test nations into two divisions. There was a prevailing feeling from administrators at the recent International Cricket Council meetings in Singapore that two divisions is inevitable. While the nine-team World Test Championship has been a good starting point to add greater context, a league structure that would also add Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan is widely seen as needed. There are a couple of sticking points. Promotion and relegation is being pushed by smaller nations, and undeniably would add great drama, but the big three nations seemingly are reticent on the prospect of being demoted. If they aren't in the same division, series between them would continue - given the financial stakes - but outside of the league which would create some chaos. "(Two divisions) is a smarter way of cramming in more 'big three' matches and justifying it,' a senior administrator told me. "I do actually like two divisions with promotion and relegation, it means there is more interest in the game. But division one has to properly fund division two. 'Every participating team needs to get a decent slug of money to justify the cost of Test cricket. You have to have a viable A-Team and first-class system and that all needs funding.' A revived Test Match Fund - where the big three would provide financial support to smaller nations - appears to have stalled, it is learned, but should be part of the working group's remit. Four-day Test cricket, which has been played intermittently since 2017, will also be analyzed with support coming from smaller nations who want it sanctioned for the next WTC cycle. The truncated Test version helps ease the financial strain for those financially-stricken countries struggling to cover the costs of host. While Test cricket is extremely popular and profitable in the traditional markets of England and Australia, it has diminished in popularity elsewhere where the three-hour T20 format has become the sport's growth engine. No new nations are expected, with Test cricket unlikely to expand ever again. 'T20 is the thing in the Caribbean, it has helped keep the flame alive for cricket,' Cricket West Indies chief executive Chris Dehring told me. "World cricket is in the balance in terms of where it is going. "When you use the term cricket, now you don't know whether you're talking about Test cricket or T20s. 'But our biggest investment in the Caribbean is our first-class system. We are still quite optimistic about the future of Test cricket.'
