The end of Salah’s era and the search for the next icon

AFTER nine seasons, Mohamed Salah is finally saying goodbye to Liverpool.

A player who got his second chance after failing for the first time is leaving behind a legacy that is unmatched.

The Anfield faithful will be feeling sad, but they are not the only group that will feel the impact of Salah’s departure; the Premier League as a whole will also feel it.​

One could say Salah has been the face of the Premier League ever since his second coming with Liverpool.

A record 32 goals in the Premier League is a new club record and made the League take notice.

In his second season, Salah continued to score 22 goals in the Premier League, and a great Champions League run resulted in him being featured in marketing collaterals as well.​

Being a Muslim enhanced Salah’s branding and helped the Premier League to grow worldwide as he attracts audiences from the Muslim world.

Salah’s prolific performance resulted in a 16% to 19% reduction in hate crime in Merseyside, according to a study by Stanford University.

Online Islamophobia also decreased by half from 7% to 3-4%. No players have delivered such an impact on and off the field.​

The Premier League team in central London will be working overtime to figure out who should be earmarked to replace Salah as a brand in future seasons.

One could say that it is definitely the end of an era as the likes of Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Trent Alexander Arnold, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, to name a few, have left the league either to continue playing competitively or looking for the last payout.​

Let’s evaluate who the Premier League can elevate to be the face of the league in the upcoming season.

We can start with Erling Haaland, who is a serial winner and a goal scorer.

Definitely a plus to attract the neutral to spend their weekend watching the games, as they would like to follow his goal-scoring exploits. However, is Haaland consistent enough?

Haaland definitely has the personality off the field, but can he expand the Premier League fan base?

Every fan knows that Manchester City is Pep Guardiola’s team, so Haaland will definitely have to work extra hard to stand out because, at the moment, the system triumphs over talent.​

Can Bukayo Saka be considered the main face of the Premier League?

In their usual marketing collateral, Saka is definitely not front and centre but a supporting cast.

This is normal because Saka has to produce high goal-scoring seasons consistently to be considered a superstar.

He is not scoring enough currently, and most of Arsenal’s output is coming from their set pieces. Even Max Dowman has more juice this season than Saka.

So if Saka really wants to replace Salah as the face, he has to start producing on a weekly basis.​

Cole Palmer is a contender, but he is not fit enough to play enough games to matter or be included in the marketing materials.

With Chelsea blowing hot and cold, perhaps Palmer is best served as a supporting cast at the moment.

To be the face of the league, you have to play 95% of the time and produce a moment of magic weekly.

Salah used to do that, as reflected by his points in his Fantasy Premier League. Palmer has the DNA to produce magic, but is he fit enough to produce it?

Plus, to be the face of the League, what matters is that the team you are playing for must be winning or competing in the competition.

While Chelsea have been winning some cups, does it matter to the larger audience?​

Maybe the face of the league could come from Manchester United.

The Red Devils are definitely on an upward trend, and while Bruno Fernandes might be the face of the club now, things could change if Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo decides to throw their names into the hat.

Cunha definitely has the potential, as he is in a position to score lots of goals.

It does help that he has a trademark dancing plus surfing celebration that was on display at the Emirates.

The Premier League loves it because the dancing meme alone could spread like wildfire and attract more audience to the games.​

Or maybe the face of the Premier League can come from a club like Aston Villa or Brentford?

Who knows, maybe a youth can rise from the academy and take the league by storm. Whatever it is, the Premier League has two months to decide.

Or should the Premier League wait until the end of the World Cup before deciding which player can be the next superstar to carry its brands?

Time will tell, and until then, thank you, Mo Salah, for the memories!

You brought a lot of joy to everyone, including your archrivals!