Ex-Liverpool star names former Chelsea player as proper Salah replacement

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has named USMNT star Christian Pulisic as an ideal replacement for Mohamed Salah, citing his unique qualities and Premier League experience.

The 27-year-old had an unsuccessful stint at Chelsea, as he struggled with injuries and output. However, he is having a resurgence at Milan, having established himself as one of the most important attackers for the Rossoneri.

Salah’s poor form this season has expedited talks of securing his replacement, despite his contract running until the end of next season. 

Heskey, who played four seasons for Liverpool, winning six titles, believes that Pulisic, who has 67 goal contributions in 123 matches for Milan, will fit well in Arne Slot’s setup.

“I actually quite like Christian Pulisic. He is very direct. He probably didn't get as many goals as I would have liked him to get at Chelsea, but I thought he gave defences problems,” he said, per Goal.

“Obviously, after a good World Cup, being at home with the pressure on him, he is definitely someone who could offer something different to Mohamed Salah or even Cody Gakpo right now.

“Mo left Chelsea to go to Italy, and look at what he’s done for Liverpool. I think it’d be great to see someone like Pulisic come back into the Premier League in the same way because I’m guessing he would love to show that his time at Chelsea was just a little blip. He was only a young lad when he came over.”

Heskey also threw other names into the mix: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Jarrod Bowen. While he admitted that they cannot match Salah’s level of production, he believes Liverpool must look beyond matching Salah’s output with an individual.

“We’re talking about replacing Mohamed Salah, and I think as fans you've got to look at something different because you can't replace Mo Salah. I remember one season I was speaking to someone who said Mo's had a bad season. He'd scored 25 goals. I'd love to have had that bad of a season! We're talking about someone scoring 20 plus, nearly 30 goals a season for 10 years.”

“I think we've just got to look at something different, and it might not suit the manager anyway to have someone like Mo Salah. He might want to change the formation. I know that he was talking about a 4-4-2 diamond midfield and not having high and wide wingers, and that would need something different.

“I don't think you can replace Mo Salah, but I do like the lad from PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He would be my go-to. Would Jarrod Bowen be a downgrade from Mohamed Salah? I think most players are a downgrade compared to Salah, but to be honest with you, Bowen is a different type of player, and he would probably help the formation because he’s going to work a little bit harder than Mo.

“I'm not saying Mo doesn't work hard, but Bowen has a different work rate and work ethic because he's coming from West Ham and, before that, the lower leagues. It’s totally different. Andrew Robertson was arguably one of our best signings, and he came from Hull City.”