Jurgen Klopp comments on Mohamed Salah contract illustrate simple Liverpool truth

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If ever anything summed up the emotion surrounding Mo Salah’s contract negotiations, it came just minutes before the surprise announcement on his long term commitment to Liverpool.

His agent Ramy Abbas Issa, in keeping with some cryptic social media messages throughout fraught negotiations over the past year, posted yet another laughing emoji…which induced a furious response from Reds fans.

Chief amongst them was former Anfield star Jamie Carragher, the tv pundit suggesting supporters could “do without this cryptic crap” for the next 12 months as the final year of Salah’s contract ticked down.

Except that it won’t. The emoji was a hint of joy this time, not frustration, with Issa instrumental in negotiations which somehow found a compromise even when there was a massive discrepancy in the positions of both sides.

And there was some gap. Salah is believed to have been looking for a similar salary to his Premier League equal Kevin de Bruyne, while Liverpool didn’t want to pay more than previous top earner Virgil van Dijk.

Yet as manager Jurgen Klopp explained, there was a need on both sides to find a way. “It is the best decision for us, and for him,” he said plainly after the forward signed.

In that one