Saudi Pro League’s position on the January transfer window following a £150 million Salah Mohamed’s bid.

The preparations for the January transfer window have been disclosed by Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo, who witnessed a bid for Mohamed Salah of Liverpool rejected in the summer.

Liverpool may have just learned the Saudi Pro League’s intentions ahead of the January transfer window.

The Reds were quick to reject a £150m bid from Al-Ittihad for Mohamed Salah in the final days of the summer transfer market.

Salah would have represented another marquee signing for a league that brought in the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez, following Cristiano Ronaldo’s surprise move to Al Nassr in January 2023.

Liverpool were already familiar with the riches that Saudi clubs had at their disposal, prior to the late interest in Salah, having sold Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Al-Ittihad and Al-Ettifaq respectively. Meanwhile, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane also made moves to the Middle East, joined by Reds legend Steven Gerrard, who became Al-Ettifaq manager.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp has quietly found ‘complete’ attacker to help Salah and Nunez

INTERVIEW: Liverpool didn’t expect me in the first team just yet – but I won’t stop until I’m one of the best

It has been reported by the Independent that the Saudi Pro League spent a total of £701m bringing in new players from abroad in the summer transfer window. However, the league’s director of football Michael Emenalo has suggested that their recruitment will not be as bold in the winter months, though refused to rule out any other high-profile signings.

“I’m hoping (the January transfer window) is not very busy, because I think the job that was done has been quite interesting and aggressive, and most of the clubs, I believe, have what they need,” former Chelsea director of football Emenalo explained.

“And hopefully the attention will now turn to work within the training facilities to improve these players and to allow the time to adapt and perform.

“Now, whatever additional improvement that we need to do for any club, with time on our hands and preparation, we believe will be additions of the highest level. We will continue to support and to see every opportunity we have to bring more talented individuals that want to come to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is open for business.”

Liverpool’s decision to reject the £150m offer for Salah has arguably already been justified by the forward’s form so far this season. Salah has registered 16 goal contributions in 17 games in all competitions, putting the Reds a point off top spot in the Premier League.

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Breakthrough star Jarell Quansah speaks about his rise into Liverpool’s first team and the England Under-21s squad, his influences and his ambitions for the future.

While Liverpool completed an £150m midfield overhaul this summer, they were unsuccessful when it came to strengthening their defensive ranks.

Jurgen Klopp had admitted the Reds were in the market for a new centre-back back in May, but despite reported interest in the likes of Levi Colwill and Micky van de Ven, the unexpected exits of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia instead resulted in Liverpool prioritising their engine-room revamp.

Such a move was somewhat of a risk, considering they had notoriously lost all of their senior center-backs to season-ending injuries as recently as the 2020–21 campaign. However, Jarell Quansah’s rise from the Reds’ academy has made sure that it hasn’t backfired at all.

READ MORE: Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah will benefit from the “complete” attacker that Jurgen Klopp has discreetly found.

Following a half-season loan with League One Bristol Rovers at the beginning of the year, the 20-year-old has made nine appearances for Liverpool so far this season.

Suddenly playing Premier League and Europa League football for Klopp’s men after an eye-catching pre-season, Quansah’s emergence in the first-team squad has been a welcome bonus for the Reds’ this year with even his manager initially surprised at his progress.

And the 20-year-old is aware that such a step-up, which he has made seamlessly at Anfield, is rather unusual in elite-level football.

“You can look at that both ways, can’t you?” Quansah told the ECHO and other media outlets while away on international duty with England Under-21s. “‘Surprised’ could be deemed as an interesting word, but I think the way he (Klopp) means it, I wasn’t really expected to be there yet.

“I don’t think it was a surprise of, I’ve trained with them before and I’m not a good player. I think it was how soon it came and how I’ve dealt with the adversity that I have been thrown into. I wouldn’t say it was a surprise as in if he thought I was going to be a good player or not, because I’ve shown that before in training sessions.

“It’s probably not expected from going from a loan at Bristol Rovers to straight into the first team, and do as well as I did I think. That’s where the surprise came from.”

While it might look to onlookers that Quansah has emerged out of nowhere, he has been preparing for this moment for years.

The youngster observed Liverpool’s 2020/21 season with interest as he became aware that one further injury could have resulted in his own premature promotion from the Academy, in just one of countless examples throughout this interview that demonstrates a maturity beyond his years.

“In myself I’ve never had a time-frame,” he said. “I’m never one to say, ‘give me two years and it’s going to be this’. I’ve always known people just get thrown in and always known it could happen at any moment. I’ve always been ready for that and that is why I don’t get overawed by it as much.

“Probably when I was 16, I mentally prepared myself. Obviously not thinking I’d play at 16, but knowing at that age that something crazy could happen.

“What really helped was we had the season where centre-backs got injured and it was Rhys Williams, Nat Phillips and we got (Ozan) Kabak as well. I think at that time I was 17/18 but I was fourth or fifth choice then.

“I was like, ‘if something happens to them I could be somewhere’. From then I knew I needed to maximise everything I can.”

Meanwhile, his passion for his trade is obvious, with Quansah sharing how he has always studied videos of the Reds’ defence and other backlines across the world in an attempt to continually learn and improve his own game.

“When I was younger, I always watched the older generation,” he said. “I love watching different countries and the way they defend. I always looked at, in Spain, Sergio Ramos. I always looked at Bonucci in Italy. Sometimes I’d go on a mad one and watch any South American defenders. Especially Argentinian because I love the way they defend.

“Yeah (they defend differently). Cristian Romero and players like that. You see how much it means to them. I’d love to have that experience abroad, it’s just different ways of defending and stuff like that.

“That’s the way I look at other players. When I mould everything into one, I don’t think there is a specific formula that’s the best. If you could have a bit of everything, that would be good.”

Quansah continued: “I’m a good learner when I watch players so even just watching the games up close, I’ll just focus on our defenders. In training, I’ll just watch what they’re doing and listen to how they’re speaking, so it’s everything.

“Virgil makes everything look so easy, doesn’t he? And even when you’re next to him he does the same. It’s just 24/7 learning really.

“They’re so elite, literally the most world-class players in the world, so just everything and anything I can take from them is a positive, and I can mould it into one hopefully and that’s what I’m trying to do.

“I always used to watch clips. When I was in the Under-21s, that was my main thing I did. I went to them but it was always an option, you just need to ask the right people to get it.

“I used to get high-cam footage instead of the TV footage so you could see everything really, how the back-line moves and a little bit of everything. I was always watching. Some players might not learn off that.

“I can’t speak for anyone else but myself. But the way I learn is watching players. That’s how you gain a bit of experience a little bit as well because these players have played 400-500 games at the top level.

“It would be stupid for me not to watch them. That’s how I look at it. It’s like having a resource and just throwing it away, I couldn’t do that, I couldn’t live with myself if I did that.”

Quansah has quickly gone from watching clips of Virgil van Dijk to playing alongside him. But the Dutchman isn’t the only player who has helped the young defender quickly acclimatise in the Liverpool first team.

“The younger players that came from the academy like Harvey (Elliott) and Curtis (Jones) have definitely helped me a lot, and Trent,” he revealed. “And obviously the centre-backs as well have really helped me, because they’ve all been round it for a good few years.

“It’s always good when they’re really familiar with the gaffer and can relay information to me that they have had to learn and get through the past few years they have been there.

“I think they can see by the way I carry myself a little bit that I’m not someone who is going to be overawed by it. I show that I’m calm most times so I don’t think they look at me and think, ‘he’s going to be a nervous wreck here’, and might need to comfort me (in games).

“With me, it’s never that someone needs to put their arm around me and say, ‘do this, play your game’. Sometimes they have, some players do it for themselves maybe. But personally I don’t think I need that.”

So, three months into his first season as Liverpool first-team player, does any advice Quansah has received from any of his coaches or team-mates stand out?

“You know what, it is probably nothing tactical or anything like that,” he said. “When they just say enjoy it. It sounds so simple and so cliche but it is easy for young players, especially centre-halves, just to not play their game.

“To play safe and not do what they do at other levels just because it might be a step up in level or you’re playing in front of more people. Them just saying enjoy it relaxes you a little bit.

“I’m relaxed already but there is still always nerves there, so when I get told to enjoy it, I can just be free and play. I don’t have to worry about making mistakes because they’re going to happen at the end of the day.

“I can’t remember the last player who had a perfect career and never made a mistake. It’s always going to happen and that’s the way you learn best so just enjoy myself and try and play the the best footy I can.”

While Quansah’s sudden senior emergence might have been a surprise to some, he is not exceeding his own expectations. Nine Liverpool appearances and an England Under-21s debut, coming last month against Serbia, are just the start for a player who confidently backs himself and has the loftiest of ambitions.

“I’ve always just wanted to be a winner, I think,” he said. “Hated losing since I was young. Used to cry when I lost. When I lose, it still ruins my weekend and stuff like that. So I think it probably comes from there.