Arsene Wenger names his 5 favourite players to watch outside of Arsenal

The player in question is Mohamed Salah, who has had a sensational start to the 2024/25 season with Liverpool under new head coach Arne Slot, marking his eighth season at Anfield.

In the Premier League this term, Salah has tallied 22 goals and 14 assists, establishing the Merseyside giants as the leading favorites to win the title.

The 32-year-old has also been impressive in the Champions League, scoring three goals and providing four assists ahead of the Reds’ participation in this year’s knockout stage.

Despite uncertainty over Salah’s future at the club, with his current contract set to expire in the summer, the Egyptian forward has shown no signs of letting it affect his performances in a Liverpool shirt.

As the bookmakers’ top pick to win the Ballon d’Or, Salah aims to maintain his exceptional form this weekend when Liverpool returns to Premier League action at home against struggling Wolves.

Arsène Wenger has been captivated by Salah’s brilliance on Merseyside and named the attacker among his top five players to watch during a quickfire Q&A with Goal before managing Team KSI at today’s Match for Hope.

‘Well outside of Arsenal I would say Salah, [Cole] Palmer, Vinicius [Junior], [Kylian] Mbappe,’ the iconic Frenchman replied when asked for his five.

‘My favourite player is a guy like Salah because despite the longevity his career is still at the top.

‘Then you have exciting players like [Lamine] Yamal and like Palmer.’

Wenger first met Salah in 2021 during a visit to Liverpool’s training ground, an invitation extended by Slot’s predecessor, Jurgen Klopp.

Reflecting on Wenger’s visit, Salah shared a piece of advice from the former Arsenal manager that has resonated with him ever since.

‘I got advice from Arsene Wenger before… he was at Melwood at the time,’ Salah told Liverpool’s official website last November.

‘I asked him what the difference is between a good player and a really, really good player.

‘He said, “I think the very, very good player is always focused in the game, even if he doesn’t have the momentum, he stays in the game until the last minute or until the whistle”.

‘For me, I know there are some games when I don’t have the momentum, I don’t have the game. ‘But I’m always focused in the game to finish stuff so I don’t mind that.

‘Even [Liverpool assistant] Johnny [Heitinga], when he came here this year, he was like “Mo, you’re not playing good today”, and I said, “Yeah, but I always find the moment”, I’m not always very good in a game. It’s normal, we’re still human.’