Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

When Liverpool hit the top of the Premier League table with victory over Brighton on 2 November, Mohamed Salah reacted on X with: "Top of the table is where this club belongs. Nothing less."

And that is where Liverpool have stayed, with Salah the main inspiration.

Liverpool's form under the calm, methodical Dutchman Arne Slot, plus the fact they show every sign of hunting down those major honours Salah craves now and in the future, will all have played into the Egyptian's thinking.

He will surely secure a second Premier League title, but Salah will also believe he should have more than one Champions League after mixed fortunes in the competition.

Financial considerations, of course, will have played their part, but the prospect of leading a rebuilt, rejuvenated Liverpool into a new era under Slot will also have appealed.

Salah on a mission is a dangerous prospect. He now has the opportunity to add to his trophy haul of one Champions League, one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups, the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup at Anfield.

It means that for Salah and Liverpool, the perfect sporting marriage goes on.

Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in a £34m deal on 22 June, 2017.

The Egypt forward was a long-time target for then manager Jurgen Klopp before finally signing a five-year deal.

Salah almost joined Liverpool from Basel in 2014 before moving to Chelsea.

But after only six Premier League starts for the Blues, he had loan spells at Fiorentina and Roma before joining the latter in a permanent move.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Mohamed Salah's debut season at Liverpool saw him win the Premier League Golden Boot with 32 goals, but he had to wait a little longer for a trophy as the Reds finished fourth in the league and were beaten in the Champions League final.

Jurgen Klopp's side came back stronger the following season, beating Tottenham 2-0 to become the champions of Europe, with Salah scoring the opener from the penalty spot in Madrid.

They also lifted the Club World Cup and the Uefa Super Cup on the back of that triumph before also securing the Premier League title in 2019-20 as the Reds collected 99 points, with Salah scoring 19 times.

The Egypt international also has also won the FA Cup once and the EFL Cup twice during his Anfield stay.

Salah's Liverpool honours:

• Premier League: 2019-20
• Champions League: 2018-19
• FA Cup: 2021-22
• EFL Cup: 2021-22, 2023-24

• Uefa Super Cup: 2019
• Fifa Club World Cup: 2019
• FA Community Shield: 2022

Image source, Getty Images

We're running a poll at the top of the page at the minute about whether or not you believe Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's greatest player of the Premier League era.

If we're talking purely on statistics - he certainly is.

His goal involvements in the competition are far superior to anyone else, with the closest to him former captain Steven Gerrard:

• Mohamed Salah (270)
• Steven Gerrard (210)
• Robbie Fowler (158)
• Michael Owen (148)
• Roberto Firmino (132)
• Sadio Mane (120)
• Steve McManaman (99)
• Luis Suarez (91)
• Trent Alexander-Arnold (81)
• Dirk Kuyt (78)

Right, we have a bit of time now to assess the impact of Mohamed Salah's new contract at Liverpool, what it means to the player, the club and their Premier League rivals.

We will be featuring your views on the subject throughout the morning, so keep your messages coming.

And we will have a look back at the impact Salah has had on the English top-flight, along with the key moments of his eight years at Liverpool.

Shall we start with some stats? Salah's are pretty impressive...

Image source, Getty Images

OK, let's have a recap of this morning's news and the main points covered in Liverpool manager Arne Slot's news conference.

There are no prizes for guessing what the main topic of conversation was - here are the top lines:

• He has "known for a while" that Salah would be signing a new deal
• Slot refused to discuss the contract situation of defender Virgil van Dijk
• The Liverpool boss on what makes Salah "special"
• He believes Salah's extension will help future transfer dealings
• Slot says it took a lot of effort but also money for Salah to extend his deal
• Alisson fit to start for Liverpool this weekend.

Thanks Zac for introducing that topic - we will have to sign you up!

Can I draw your attention to the poll at the top of this page, asking whether Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's greatest player of the Premier League era.

• As an Arsenal fan, Zac believes Steven Gerrard is the greatest Liverpool player of the Premier League era. What do you think Reds fans?
• Also, how important do you believe Salah's new contract is for the club?
• What impact do you think it will have on Liverpool's chances of future success?
• Finally, is the Egypt forward worth his £350,000-a-week salary?

Send in your messages via X, WhatsApp or text using the contact details above.

Please remember to include your name and tell us what club you support.

Thanks.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool

A final word from Arne Slot on whether he will start fit-again Conor Bradley against West Ham on Sunday: "It's a boost. It's always a boost when quality players come back, especially when quality players in their position.

"Curtis Jones is a quality player but he was not playing in his preferred position. To have a player in his favourite position might be better for the team.

"Conor has done so well for us this season, just like Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. But when Trent isn't there, you always look behind you and see that Conor is available. And if he is not there, we have to solve that problem.

"We are not the only team in the league that have had these problems. I think Curtis played well [as right-back] against Fulham. He did it very well for two games, but when you have Conor back, I think we all will make the same decision and that is playing Conor in that position."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on the role Mohamed Salah plays: "If I look at all the wingers all around the world, I don't see them outplaying their opponents every single time for the whole 90 minutes. If you are a winger, you have to be creative and that's the most difficult part in football, especially against low blocks that many good wingers face these days.

"It's normal that once in a while you lose the ball or one of your actions fails.

"But, in general, Mo has a lot of impact on our game with his goals and assists, but not only that. He is a big threat, but he is not the only one.

"Wingers are becoming more and more important in the modern game of football because teams are going lower and lower with their blocks than ever before.

"If you look at Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli, they were all able to open up the last line and create chances. That's what Mo is doing for us."

Image source, Getty Images

It is fair to say, Martin, that we shelved a number of planned posts on the Europa League fall-out to switch to the news about Mohamed Salah's contract, but scroll down to find that the main points were covered...

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport

When Mohamed Salah signed his previous deal at Liverpool it is understood it made him the club's highest paid player ever with a salary worth more than £350,000-a-week.

Negotiations over his new contract were led by Reds sporting director Richard Hughes, who arrived at the club last summer, and it is believed a pay cut was never on the agenda as talks took place with Salah's representative.

Nevertheless, any deal will also fit into Liverpool's framework as the club has a strategy to try to bring in and keep the best talent on contracts that also are in their best interests from a sporting and financial perspective.

However, during the discussions, which have been taking place over several months, there was a willingness from both parties to come to an agreement and so it has proved.

Liverpool

Here's Liverpool manager Arne Slot on the wider impact of Mohamed Salah signing a new contract: "If I put myself in the shoes of a player we might want to sign, it's always nice to tell them that Mo has extended his contract. That helps but what helps the most is that we kept a quality player who has scored for seven or eight years in a row so many goals for us.

"As I said, football is a game where we are mostly judged on the goals we score and the ones we do not concede. So it's helpful to have a player who scores goals. That's for sure."

Liverpool

Image source, Getty Images

We have more from Arne Slot to come, but his news conference has now finished.

He closed it by confirming that Alisson is back fit and available for the weekend after undergoing concussion protocols following the head injury he sustained on international duty with Brazil.

Full-back Conor Bradley is also in contention to start.

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on where Mohamed Salah can improve: "We are always trying to achieve a bit more as a team and as individuals. But if you are playing for Liverpool, you are close to getting to the maximum of your ability.

"There is not a lot of room for improvement for Mo or the other players anymore. We are just trying to reach perfection.

"We are trying to get the best and maximum out of the players to find that 1% or 2% extra. But it's clear that Mo is coming close to the end - not to the end of his career but his ability.

"We have brought almost the maximum out of his qualities this season.

"Then it's about consistency, which is one of the most difficult things in football. That's why he is seen as such a star player.

"To play once or twice like Mo, many players can, but to do it at such a consistent level, that's what makes it so difficult."

Liverpool

Arne Slot said that he has a lot of trust in the quality of his players and the leadership of the club, which is why he always portrays a "calm" persona.

He added that if players don't extend deals there is no panic because he has confidence the club's leadership team would find solutions, but said "it would be useful" if the other contract situations were sorted before the end of the season.

He concluded that the talk should now be surrounding Salah's new deal and urged people to focus on that rather than other contracts.