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Former Premier League star Florent Malouda has warned his compatriot Hugo Ekitike that he and fellow summer signing Alexander Isak will have to discover their places in the Liverpool pecking order.
The Reds spent over £200 million ($271M) in recruiting the strikers this summer, with Ekitike making an immediate start to life at Anfield with three goals in his first three appearances. As for Isak, the ex-Newcastle man could make his Liverpool debut at Turf Moor on Sunday.
But both will need to learn they rank behind Mohamed Salah in the Liverpool hierarchy, according to Malouda. The Egyptian star hasn’t made an immediate start to the new season, but after eight years of being the star name at Anfield, a goalscoring return is expected soon.
Even with the new arrivals, Salah remains Liverpool's most important attacking player, claimed Malouda, who feels that when the 34-year-old forms new links with Ekitike and Isak, it will bring out the best in Liverpool’s no.11.
“When you look at Mo Salah, he's always been able to renew himself and find pockets where he could be more effective, even though he always starts from the right. Now there's a kind of transition,” the former Chelsea winger, told Boyle Sports, who provide the latest Champions League betting.
“There were rumors of him possibly going to Saudi Arabia, so the club is preparing to attract players who can perform at his high level and help the team win trophies. I think it's more about creating connections with those talented new players.
“From my experience, when good players bond together, they all perform much better. Liverpool isn't expecting anything else from Mo Salah, I think. They need to bring something different that might free Mo Salah to be more dangerous.
“You also need players with legs next to him for defensive balance, which is always difficult to achieve in modern football. So for me, I'm happy to see so much talent, so many different profiles.
“It's more about, and we're talking about leadership, how the new players accept Mo Salah's leadership in terms of attacking roles.”
It will likely be Ekitike who starts in Liverpool’s front three on Sunday, with Isak not yet fully up to match speed.
Florain Wirtz, who has also endured a slow beginning to the new campaign, is expected to play in the No. 10 role, with Cody Gakpo on the left wing.
Salah suffered a slightly frustrating international break with Egypt and failed to guarantee a World Cup spot.
Four points from two games were insufficient to secure top spot in the qualification group, but Egypt does have two more games left to wrap things up in October.
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