Vladimir Smicer has named Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise as the player he would like to see fill Mo Salah's boots at Liverpool this summer, as the club prepares for the forward's departure at the end of the season.
Salah confirmed in a social media video last month that the current campaign will be his last at Anfield, bringing an end to a nine-year spell in which he became Liverpool's third-highest goalscorer in history with 256 goals. He won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with the club, and also featured in squads that lifted two League Cups and the 2022 FA Cup.
Smicer, who made 184 appearances for Liverpool between 1999 and 2005 and scored in the club's Champions League final win over AC Milan in 2005, said the team has been struggling in the wide areas. “We've seen Liverpool struggling on the flanks, with the wingers,” he said. “We lost Luis Diaz, and Mo Salah is not at his usual standard this season. We need a good winger, especially now we know that Mo Salah is leaving.”
The former Liverpool midfielder said Olise fits the profile because he is 24 years old and already knows the Premier League. “Michael Olise is the name that I like, he's a very good young player, he's 24, he has experience in the Premier League, he knows the league, that's so important,” Smicer said. “He's playing really well for Bayern Munich, it's going to be tough to find an agreement with them, we know that. But Olise at Liverpool would be very special.”
Smicer also praised Salah's place in club history, calling him one of the greatest wide players Liverpool have had. “Mo Salah's statistics are just unbelievable. Everyone expected him to score 20 or 30 goals every year and took it for granted. But it's not that easy. I think he's the greatest winger ever to play for Liverpool, that's for sure,” he said.
The question for Liverpool now is whether they can find a replacement who can carry the same weight on the right side as Salah did for nearly a decade. Smicer believes Olise is the best fit, but any move would first have to overcome Bayern Munich's resistance.