Emile Heskey believes Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is ‘ideal replacement’ for Mohamed Salah

Salah will enter the final year of his contract at the end of the season

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Former Liverpool forward Emile Heskey believes Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would be the ideal replacement for Mohamed Salah if the Liverpool star departs this summer.

The Egypt skipper will enter the final year of his contract at the end of the season.

Salah, who turns 34 in June, has scored just seven goals in all competitions, his lowest return at this stage of any campaign since joining Liverpool FC in 2017. His last Premier League goal came in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa on November 1.

With continued interest from the Saudi Pro League, Heskey, a member of Gerard Houllier’s 2001 cup-winning squad, believes Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has the quality and profile to succeed Salah at Anfield.

“I remember someone asking me a few years back: ‘Would you have liked to play with Mohamed Salah?’ I said probably not,” Heskey told OLBG.

“I’d probably prefer to play with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] because I know he’s going to cross the ball for me. Mo’s not going to cross. Mo wants to score goals. We’ve gone from wingers who want to provide to wingers who want to score goals.

“If we’re talking about replacing Mohamed Salah and I think as fans you’ve got to look at something different because you can’t replace Mo Salah.

“I remember one season I was speaking to someone who said Mo’s had a bad season. He’d scored 25 goals. I’d love to have had that bad of a season! We’re talking about someone scoring 20 plus, nearly 30 goals a season for 10 years.

“I think we’ve just got to look at something different and it might not suit the manager anyway to have someone like Mo Salah. He might want to change the formation.

“I know that he was talking about a 4-4-2 diamond midfield and not having high and wide wingers and that would need something different. I don’t think you can replace Mo Salah but I do like the lad from PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He would be my go-to.”

Heskey added: “Would Jarrod Bowen be a downgrade from Mohamed Salah?

“I think most players are a downgrade compared to Salah but to be honest with you, Bowen is a different type of player and he would probably help the formation because he’s going to work a little bit harder than Mo.

“I’m not saying Mo doesn’t work hard but Bowen has a different work rate and work ethic because he’s coming from West Ham and before that the lower leagues. It’s totally different.”

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