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Richard Keys says something that happened to Aubameyang at Arsenal is now happening to Mo Salah at Liverpool

Mohamed Salah is close to signing a new contract at Liverpool after months of speculation.

TBR Football understand Liverpool are nearing agreements with both Salah and Virgil van Dijk – just weeks before the pair become free agents in June.

However, the same cannot be said for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Nevertheless, keeping Mohamed Salah around will be imperative for Arne Slot, after the Egypt international put up a stunning haul of 32 goals and 22 assists in 45 appearances this season, with seven games still to play.

Having said that, the Liverpool No.11 is without a goal or assist in his last four appearances for the Reds, and Richard Keys has now shared a theory involving the Egyptian.

Richard Keys thinks Mohamed Salah has relaxed after winning new contract

The beIN SPORTS pundit wrote on X (previously known as Twitter): “I think Salah must’ve signed this contract six weeks ago – he hasn’t had a kick since. It always happens when a player signs a new deal.”

Four games without a goal involvement is nothing to worry about, and remarks like the one above from Keys just goes to show how high the 32-year-old has set the bar this season, and beyond.

However, we have seen instances of players falling off after signing lucrative contract extensions.

That is exactly what happened to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal, after the Gabon international penned a new three-year contract in September 2020 at the age of 31, only slightly younger than Salah is now.

What happened to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal?

The man from Laval had just scored 29 goals in 44 games across the 2019/20 campaign to earn the £350,000-a-week deal, including a winner in the FA Cup final over Chelsea.

Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

However, Aubameyang then scored just ten goals in 29 Premier League games the following season, before he fell out with Mikel Arteta in the 2021/22 campaign and saw his £350,000-a-week contract terminated.

It would be a real shock if the same ended up happening to Salah at Liverpool, although stranger things have happened.