Liverpool's Future: Ibrahim Mbaye as Salah's Successor

Liverpool’s Salah succession plan may finally have a face. And it belongs to an 18-year-old from Senegal.

Mohamed Salah’s departure this summer closed one of the defining chapters in Liverpool’s modern history. Goals, records, trophies – and a right flank that felt permanently his. When he walked away, the obvious question followed: who on earth comes next?

Weeks passed. The answer didn’t.

The new season is less than three weeks away and Liverpool still have no natural right-winger in the squad. Not a stop-gap. Not a prospect ready to step in. Nothing.

The picture grows even more complicated when you look at the depth chart. Jeremie Frimpong can operate high on that side, but he’s not a winger by trade and, with Conor Bradley injured, he’s needed at right-back. Bradley Barcola has been linked and brings excitement, but he works off the opposite flank. None of this solves the Salah-sized hole on the right.

Then, on Tuesday evening, a name cut through the noise: Ibrahim Mbaye.

Reports claim Liverpool want him and that talks are expected to begin soon. Fabrice Hawkins has spoken of genuine interest from the club. Fabrizio Romano has suggested the player is keen on the move. No fanfare from Liverpool, no announcements, but the outlines of a plan are starting to appear.

This isn’t a like-for-like plug-in. Mbaye is just 18. He would not arrive as a ready-made Premier League destroyer, nor as a guaranteed day-one starter. He would arrive as a project – but a serious one.

Liverpool know how rare it is to find a potential world-beater for that right side. The current market there is thin, expensive, and largely uninspiring. Clubs are clinging to what they have. Options who combine elite talent, age profile and availability are almost non-existent.

Mbaye is one of the few who fits the brief.

The Senegal youngster carries the kind of raw ability that makes clubs rethink their timelines. Pace, flair, end product – the tools are there to grow into a genuine star. Liverpool, who have built eras on spotting this profile early, will recognise the opportunity.

This is not about replacing Salah tomorrow. It’s about giving themselves a chance to grow the next long-term talisman on that flank, rather than overpaying for a short-term imitation.

If Liverpool can get Mbaye in the building and give him the runway to develop, they might not just find a successor. They might find the next right-winger Anfield sings about for a decade.