“I am starting to fear that we may not be able to come to an agreement on a new contract, Mohamed-their latest offer is still very far from what we want.” It was June 2022, and Mohamed Salah, one of the world’s best soccer players, was on a phone call with Ramy Abbas Issa, whose company represented Salah. Abbas briefed him on the ongoing discussions with top English Premier League club Liverpool FC about a new playing contract for Salah. Abbas was in Dubai, while Salah was in his native country Egypt for a brief vacation after a successful season with Liverpool in which he was crowned the league’s top scorer as well as the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Players’ Player of the Year.
Such a stellar season was nothing new for Salah, who had excelled for Liverpool in all of his five seasons with the club to date, becoming the English league’s top scorer three times and playing a critical role in his team’s winning the domestic league title as well as the most prestigious European competition, the UEFA Champions League. Along the way, Salah had become a star in Europe, an icon in Egypt, and arguably the Arab world’s biggest sports superstar.
Operating largely behind the scenes, Abbas had worked with Salah throughout his time at Liverpool, and during Salah’s earlier stints at Italian clubs AFC Fiorentina and AS Roma. A Colombian who grew up in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was fluent in Arabic, Abbas preferred to be described as a “lawyer and advisor,” as he put it, rather than as an agent. He not only led Salah’s club contract negotiations, but also managed the player’s lucrative portfolio of endorsements. “We are partners,” said Salah, “I know he will always do what is best for me.”
Now, the partnership between the two men faced perhaps its biggest challenge. With Salah’s Liverpool contract due to expire in the summer of 2023 (at which point he could join another club on a free transfer), this was the time to try to secure a big contract from his current club. But negotiating Salah’s contract with Liverpool had been a lengthy and increasingly tense process, and the two parties were still far apart. Salah, long optimistic that his club would present a satisfactory offer, for the first time had to face the possibility that his long-term future might be with another club. “I want to stay with Liverpool,” said Salah, “but the club needs to show that they want me to stay as well.” Not ready to give up on a contract renewal quite yet, Salah and Abbas were wondering how to get the negotiation back on track.
Were Abbas and Salah right to continue to push Liverpool for a better deal-even if Salah, who would turn 30 in a few days already was one of the highest-paid players in the world? What was the right mix between fixed and variable compensation-specifically, was it wise for Abbas and Salah to entertain Liverpool’s push for a higher share of performance-related compensation? And could and should Abbas and Salah bring his image rights to the table to try to break the deadlock? Salah settled in for what he knew would be a lengthy call with Abbas - the two men had a lot to discuss before they would put together a counteroffer.