A consortium led by Todd Boehy and Clearlake Capital completed their takeover of Chelsea on Monday.

The Premier League club announced on Saturday that the deal was officially set to go through at the start of this week.

Chelsea have now confirmed that they are under new ownership almost three months after Roman Abramovich decided to sell up.

An ownership group led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss brokered a deal to buy the Blues for £4.25billion this month.

The Portuguese government last week approved the sale of the London club, a green light that was required as Abramovich has Portuguese citizenship.

A statement released by Chelsea on Monday said: "Under the terms of the agreement, Boehly and Clearlake will share joint control and equal governance of the club. Boehly will serve as chairman of the holding company.

"Boehly and Clearlake are committed to investing in key areas that will extend and enhance Chelsea's competitiveness, including the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge, further investment in the academy, the women's team, and Kingsmeadow Stadium. The owners will also continue the important work of the Chelsea Foundation."

Upon confirmation of the takeover, Boehly told the club's website: "We are honoured to become the new custodians of Chelsea Football Club. We're all in, 100 per cent. Every minute of every match.

"Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud. Along with our commitment to developing the youth squad and acquiring the best talent, our plan of action is to invest in the club for the long-term and build on Chelsea's remarkable history of success. I personally want to thank ministers and officials in the British government, and the Premier League, for all their work in making this happen."

The UK government declared it was satisfied the deal would not benefit Abramovich, who was sanctioned due to his links to Russia's president Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian oligarch Abramovich owned Chelsea for 19 years.

The 55-year-old stated when he put the Blues up for sale that the net proceeds would go to a charitable foundation, with the money distributed to victims of the war in Ukraine.

Abramovich declared the charitable foundation being established would be the legacy he and Chelsea had created together.

A Todd Boehly-led consortium completed their takeover of Chelsea on Monday.

The Premier League club announced on Saturday that the deal was officially set to go through at the start of this week.

Chelsea have now confirmed that they are under new ownership almost three months after Roman Abramovich decided to sell up.

An ownership group led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss brokered a deal to buy the Blues for £4.25billion this month.

The Portuguese government last week approved the sale of the London club, a green light that was required as Abramovich has Portuguese citizenship.

The UK government declared that it was satisfied the deal would not benefit Abramovich, who was sanctioned due to his links to Russia's President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian oligarch Abramovich owned Chelsea for 19 years.

The 55-year-old stated when he put the Blues up for sale that the full amount that is paid to buy the club would go to a charitable foundation, with the money distributed to victims of the war in Ukraine.

Abramovich declared that the charitable foundation that is being established would be the legacy he and Chelsea had created together.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the PFA Premier League Fans' Player of the Year.

Salah shared the Golden Boot with Tottenham's Son Heung-min after they both scored 23 top-flight goals in the 2021-22 season.

The PFA on Monday revealed the Egypt international Salah has landed another gong.

Salah had already picked up the Football Writers' Assocation player of the year and Premier League's Goal of the Season award for his brilliant solo strike in a 2-2 draw with champions Manchester City.

The former Chelsea and Roma man also provided 14 assists for the Reds as they finished just a point behind City.

Salah has 13 months left on his contract but last week revealed he will stay with Jurgen Klopp's side next season.

Liverpool won the FA Cup and EFL Cup before missing out on Champions League glory when they were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid at Stade de France on Saturday.

Ralf Rangnick says he and Manchester United agreed it was in the best interests of both parties that he did not take up a consultancy role with the club.

The Red Devils on Sunday announced that Rangnick would not be staying on at Old Trafford.

Rangnick was appointed as interim manager after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by the Premier League club last November.

The German was due to take up an advisory position with United, but it appeared unlikely he would stay on after he was named as Austria head coach last month.

With Erik ten Hag having since been appointed as United manager, Rangnick's short time in England is over.

Rangnick said in a press conference: "After the last game against Crystal Palace one week ago, I had some talks with people in charge at Manchester United, with the board that I have been in close contact with before.

"And over the last few days, we came to the conclusion that, for Manchester United, but especially for me, it would be better when I focus on my task as head coach of the Austrian national team.

"Then we decided to mutually resolve this contract as their advisor, to not let it become valid."

United finished the 2021-22 season sixth in the top flight, a mammoth 35 points adrift of champions Manchester City.

Rangnick's points-per-game (1.5) and win percentage (42 per cent) are both the lowest of any United manager in the Premier League era, while the 58 points they finished the season with is also their lowest tally in the competition. 

The Red Devils have failed to win a trophy since 2017, while they last won the Premier League title in Alex Ferguson's last season in charge in the 2012-13 campaign.

The end of the club season means individual awards are dominating the discourse right now in European football. Well, if you can't beat them, join them.

Rather than just run through the usual categories highlighting the best player and best coach – although we will do that, too – why not focus on some alternative prizes?

The NBA Awards provide a fine blueprint, rewarding superstars alongside breakout performers, recovering veterans and valuable bench players.

Relying heavily on Opta data, we'll steer clear of team honours – a blow to Wout Weghorst, whose eight blocks (leading all forwards in Europe's top five leagues) might have carved out a spot leading the All-Defensive First Team – but there remains plenty to go at...

Most Valuable Player

Only one player had more goal involvements than Karim Benzema (39) in the top five leagues this season, and Real Madrid would really rather not talk about the man top of the charts. That other leading France forward had a hand in 45 goals, yet the value of Benzema's contributions to a LaLiga title triumph separates him from the rest.

Benzema's goal involvements were worth 29 points across the season, the most of any player, with Kylian Mbappe, of course, second on 28. Just considering Benzema's 27 goals, he accounted for 20 points – trailing Dusan Vlahovic (22 points) alone.

Required to perform repeated rescue acts in the Champions League, too, Madrid's number nine played only 2,596 minutes in LaLiga – or 75.9 per cent of the full season. He was therefore involved in a goal every 67 minutes, narrowly second in this regard behind Erling Haaland (66 minutes) among those to play 1,000 minutes or more across Europe.

Coach of the Year

Were this the NBA, Carlo Ancelotti would surely also qualify for the Lifetime Achievement Award. In guiding Benzema and Madrid to the LaLiga title, the Italian became the first coach to win each of Europe's top five leagues, following successes in Serie A with Milan, the Premier League with Chelsea, Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

Ancelotti, also the oldest LaLiga-winning coach at 62, earned only two more points than Zinedine Zidane had in finishing second in the prior season, but Madrid maintained this high standard despite losing both of their senior centre-backs heading into the campaign as they seemingly saved for the now failed pursuit of Mbappe.

Meanwhile, Everton, the team Ancelotti left for his second Madrid stint, finished 20 points short of their 2020-21 total, spending the season battling relegation rather than chasing Europe and perhaps putting his work at Goodison Park in context.

Rookie of the Year

Given the differences between the NBA and Europe's top five leagues, it is difficult to quantify exactly how many players might be considered 'rookies', let alone identify the best of them. Someone like Luis Diaz, for example, played his first minutes in the top five leagues this season, yet he had already scored goals in the Champions League and Copa America so surely doesn't fit the bill.

On the other hand, Hugo Ekitike definitely does.

Among the nine players who were teenagers at the start of the season and finished with 10 or more goal involvements, only Ekitike had never previously started a game in Europe's top five leagues. His 13 involvements in 2021-22 (10 goals, three assists) arrived every 98 minutes on average, the best rate of this group and the 18th-best overall – just behind Neymar (also 98 mins) and ahead of Son Heung-min (101 mins).

The 19-year-old Reims forward, who turned down a transfer to Newcastle United in January before sustaining a thigh injury, scored with an astonishing 32.3 per cent of his shots – second behind Wissam Ben Yedder (34.7 per cent) among players with 20 or more attempts – and has been linked with moves to PSG and Borussia Dortmund, as well as St James' Park.

Defensive Player of the Year

As elsewhere, many of these awards focus on offensive talents, so there is a dedicated category for the best defender – and there could really only be one winner this year.

Injury restricted Virgil van Dijk to 371 minutes in 2019-20, and he was badly missed by Liverpool in their title defence, as they conceded 42 Premier League goals – their most since shipping the same number in the season before the centre-back's 2018 arrival.

With Van Dijk fit again this term and missing only four matches, the Reds conceded the joint-fewest number of goals across the top five leagues (26, tied with Manchester City). No defender played a part in more clean sheets (21).

Those figures show the impact Van Dijk had on the team as a whole, but his performances in individual battles were equally impressive. The Liverpool man won 73.5 per cent of his duels and 77.5 per cent of his aerial duels – both the best marks of defenders to make 30 or more appearances in the top five leagues.

Comeback Player of the Year

Okay, so the NBA no longer highlights a Comeback Player of the Year, but the NFL continues to identify an individual who has overcome the adversity of the previous campaign, allowing us to recognise one of the stories of the season.

Of course, for the reasons outlined above, Van Dijk might have had a claim to this prize in any other year, yet he is beaten this time by a player who actually won Serie A in 2020-21.

Within weeks of that title triumph, Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, prompting fears for his life and then, even after his recovery, his career.

But Eriksen was fitted with an ICD, left Inter, joined Brentford in January and promptly won each of the first five Premier League games he started for the relegation-threatened Bees. Finishing with seven victories from 10 starts, only nine players in the top five leagues created more chances over this period than Eriksen (29, including four assists).

Most Improved Player

There were no shortage of players showing signs of significant improvement in 2021-22. Five-goal Euro 2020 forward Patrik Schick starred on the club stage at last, Newcastle striker-turned-midfielder Joelinton enjoyed a resurgence and Vinicius Junior was outstanding as Benzema's foil, but Christopher Nkunku stood head and shoulders above the rest as he swiftly established himself among Europe's elite.

Nkunku had scored a mere six goals and assisted the same number for RB Leipzig in the 2020-21 Bundesliga, but those goal involvements increased dramatically from 12 to 33 this season, ranking fifth across Europe's top five leagues and joint-third when excluding penalties (32). With 20 total goals and 13 assists, the newly capped France international was one of just 12 players to reach double figures in both categories.

Of players to feature in at least 20 games in each of the past two campaigns, only Moussa Dembele (20) and Schick (15) improved their season-on-season goal tallies by a greater margin than Nkunku (14); Dembele alone (24) showed greater improvement in terms of goal involvements (21).

In a season in which Leipzig recovered from a slow start to make the top four by a single point, Nkunku's contributions were vital. He had a hand in 45.8 per cent of their Bundesliga goals and 50.8 per cent of those he was on the field for.

Twelfth Man of the Year

The NBA's Sixth Man of the Year is recognised as the season's most impactful bench player, which feels like a nice addition here.

Were this a long-standing European football award, it might have by now been renamed in honour of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored 17 goals in 84 Premier League substitute appearances – one every 88 minutes on average. Given Rodrygo Goes and Eduardo Camavinga largely reserved their heroics for the Champions League, the 2021-22 equivalent in the top five leagues could be Matheus Cunha.

Ben Yedder scored the most goals from the bench this season, but those seven counted towards 25 in total as he also started 29 matches. Cunha was restricted to only eight starts for Atletico Madrid, yet he scored three and assisted four in 21 outings as a substitute, matching Ben Yedder and Ignacio Pussetto with a Europe-high seven such goal involvements.

Atletico's man in times of need, Cunha contributed to vital goals, too. He was one of only two players to both score and assist in the same game as a substitute on more than one occasion (also Arnaud Nordin), with the second of those two performances seeing the Brazil forward introduced against Valencia with his side 2-0 down; Cunha scored seven minutes after his introduction and later teed up the winner in a 3-2 victory, justifying his season-long role as a super-sub.

After keeping Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain's transfer activity can turn their attention to adding to their squad.

From the likes of Mauro Icardi to Edinson Cavani, playing as a complementary forward to Mbappe and Neymar is not a simple task.

While other clubs are reportedly interested, their target for a forward has reportedly been identified.

TOP STORY – PSG TURN TO RICHARLISON

Richarlison is facing an uncertain future with Everton as interest from Paris Saint-Germain grows, according to the Daily Mail.

The Brazil international was one of the survival heroes for the Toffees, scoring six in nine games to help them secure Premier League safety.

Reports suggest the 25-year-old is seeking a move away from Goodison Park and with the club's financial situation, he could be allowed to move on despite having two years left on his deal.

While Tottenham and Real Madrid are though to be eyeing Richarlison, PSG have emerged as the likeliest destination. 

ROUND-UP

– Bayern Munich are close to agreeing a deal for 30-year-old attacker Sadio Mane , according to Matteo Moretto.

– Meanwhile, Liverpool have made contact with the representatives of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, per Sport.

– The Manchester Evening News is reporting Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus will resolve his future after returning from Brazil duty, amid interest from Arsenal .

– Pau Torres is nearing a move from Villarreal with talks between his representatives and Manchester United developing, per Cadena Ser.

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper recognised that Sunday's Championship play-off final win over Huddersfield Town is life changing.

Forest beat the Terriers 1-0 at Wembley to secure their long-awaited return to the Premier League.

They have not played a top-flight match since the 1998-99 season, with their 23-year gap between Premier League seasons being the longest for any club.

Their success on Sunday highlighted the astonishing turnaround inspired by Cooper, who took over the club in September when they were second from bottom in the Championship – only Derby County, who had been deducted 12 points early in the season, were below the two-time European champions.

But since then, Cooper has won 60 per cent of his 45 games in charge, the best win ratio of any Forest manager (minimum 15 matches) since the club joined the Football League in the 1982-93 season.

In that time, Forest's 27 victories across all competitions is more than any other Championship club, and Cooper – who lost to Brentford with Swansea City in last season's play-offs – was fully aware of the gravity of securing promotion.

"It's relief and pride – this isn't about me, but it's changed my life, potentially anyway," Cooper told Sky Sports.

"My family are here, the players' families are here – this football club is about belonging to a city. It comes together on matchday. We've taken over Wembley today and are in the Premier League.

"This football club is built on positive eras from the past and we want to build on that. We are proud of that but at the same time we need to think, 'what if?'

"Can we get the Premier League? Can we play attractive football? What if we can develop young players? And that's what we've done showing an attitude and a commitment to not get beaten. We deserve this."

While Cooper will attract many of the plaudits for the undeniably brilliant job he has performed since September, he was quick to pay tribute to his players and the atmosphere they have helped to cultivate in the club.

"It's a glamorous world being a footballer and a manager but it's also a harsh and spiteful one," he continued.

"I just wanted the players to know I will be their biggest supporter and give them everything through thick and thin.

"It doesn't mean I'm soft with them or don't demand of them but everybody loves to be loved. That's what we've tried to do with the players."

Levi Colwill's own goal was the difference as Nottingham Forest secured promotion to the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final.

Steve Cooper's side were in the ascendancy in the first half and their reward at Wembley Stadium arrived when Colwill turned into his own net after 43 minutes.

Huddersfield were left aggrieved in the second half after referee Jonathan Moss did not award Harry Toffolo a penalty for a challenge by Jack Colback, and Lewis O'Brien had a strong case for a spot-kick too.

But Forest held firm to secure their return to the Premier League for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

Forest made a promising start as Ryan Yates flicked a header narrowly wide from a James Garner free-kick.

Yates skewed another presentable chance over but the pressure from Cooper's side seemed to have subsided until just before the interval, when Colwill inadvertently diverted into his own goal following Garner's teasing cross.

Yates tamely fired into the hands of Huddersfield's Lee Nicholls after the break, while an unmarked Jonathan Hogg wastefully headed over from Sorba Thomas' corner at the other end.

Huddersfield grew into the game past the hour mark and Toffolo thought he had won a penalty but was instead booked for diving after going down under the challenge of Colback.

O'Brien had what looked to be a similarly strong appeal turned down following clumsy play from Max Lowe, leaving Huddersfield furious in defeat as Forest – who had to take off goalkeeper Brice Samba due to injury – gained promotion.

What does it mean? Cooper ends play-off hoodoo

Forest, playing in their first English Football League play-off final, were the dominant force for large parts against Carlos Corberan's side and earned a deserved victory.

Twice European Cup winners in the days of Brian Clough, Forest will feel they have rightfully returned to the English top flight, while Cooper has finally won promotion through the Championship play-offs at the third time of asking.

Cooper's incredible turnaround

Cooper inherited a Forest side that were languishing in the relegation zone in the early stages of the season after Chris Hughton's dismissal in mid-September.

He has transformed Forest's fortunes, triumphing in 27 of his 45 games in charge at a win percentage of 60 – the highest of any Forest manager to take charge of at least 15 games since the club joined the Football League in 1892-93.

Colwill struggles

Chelsea loanee Colwill was unfortunate as he poked past his own goalkeeper Lee Nicholls in the first half.

That made Colwill the first player to score an own goal in a Championship play-off final since Joe Allen in 2011, and Huddersfield could not recover from then on.

What's next?

Forest can prepare for life in the big time, with the Premier League fixtures confirmed next month and the new season starting in early August. Huddersfield will go again in the Championship next term.

Ralf Rangnick will not be taking up the consultancy role that Manchester United had planned for him, it was revealed on Sunday.

After a disappointing spell as interim manager, the prospect of Rangnick remaining part of United's plans had appeared to fade.

He was appointed Austria's new coach last month, and that only heightened the likelihood he would move on.

Now United have confirmed Rangnick, who was considered an outstanding strategist when he joined the club, would not be part of their plans in the future.

It means Erik ten Hag, the manager brought in from Ajax on a three-year deal, will not be working with the man he has succeeded.

United, announcing the clean break, said: "We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as interim manager over the past six months.

"By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford.

"We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next chapter of his career."

Rangnick stepped in as interim boss when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked back in November, with the initial intention being he would move into an advisory role at the end of the season.

United's often dismal performances and squad harmony came under intense scrutiny under Rangnick.

They trailed in a jarring 35 points behind champions Manchester City in the 2021-22 campaign, finishing in a disappointing sixth place.

Rangnick suggested he could balance working for both United and Austria, but that plan has now been knocked on the head.

United have failed to win a trophy since 2017, while they last won the Premier League title in Alex Ferguson's last season in charge in the 2012-13 campaign.

Mohamed Salah has won the Premier League's Goal of the Season award for his fine solo strike in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with eventual champions Manchester City.

Salah beat several City defenders to put Jurgen Klopp's team 2-1 up at Anfield last October, before Kevin de Bruyne's equaliser for Pep Guardiola's side, who went on the win the title by a single point.

Salah picked up the ball to the right of the visitors' area in the 76th minute before weaving his way past Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte, eventually firing a fierce right-footed finish across Ederson and into the far corner.

Liverpool ended up second in the league after a dramatic final day and lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid, leaving them with only the EFL Cup and FA Cup triumphs to their name.

While the Reds may have felt disappointed with that haul after a quadruple was on the cards, Salah has enjoyed an incredible individual campaign, scoring 31 goals and adding 15 assists in all competitions.

The Egypt international's latest award is the latest in a succession of individual gongs, after he shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Tottenham's Son Heung-min (both 23 goals) and edged out team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold to register the most assists in the league (13).

Salah fended off nine other shortlisted goals, from the likes of Son, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mateo Kovacic, and Rodri, to scoop the award.

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly spent his first few days identifying transfer targets with football director John Murtough, technical director Darren Fletcher and recruitment consultant Ralf Rangnick.

United's maneuverability in the transfer market will likely depend on the players they can first offload, in what is an already bloated and disjointed squad.

The Dutch manager joined United in the off-season after leading Ajax to the Dutch Eredivisie title.

TOP STORY – TEN HAG PRIORITISES NUNEZ, TIMBER DEALS    

Erik ten Hag has told Manchester United to make the signings of Benfica's Darwin Nunez and Ajax's Jurrien Timber as the first order of business this off-season, according to the Mirror.

Ten Hag wants to make six signings, with the Benfica striker and Ajax defender at the top of his priorities, with respective £80million and £35m price tags.

The two players would effectively be the first dominoes in the row, given the cumulative hit to their transfer budget. 

ROUND-UP

– Ten Hag and United are also considering a bid for Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante, according The Guardian.

– Meanwhile, Blues boss Thomas Tuchel will hold talks with Conor Gallagher over his future after his loan spell at Crystal Palace, per Fabrizio Romano.

– Romano is also reporting Ivan Perisic is set to sign this week for Tottenham on a free transfer from Inter.

– Roma boss Jose Mourinho is hoping to beat his former clubs in United and Spurs in the race to sign Paulo Dybala from Juventus, TyC Sports is reporting.

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly spent his first few days identifying transfer targets with football director John Murtough, technical director Darren Fletcher and recruitment consultant Ralf Rangnick.

United's maneuverability in the transfer market will likely depend on the players they can first offload, in what is an already bloated and disjointed squad.

The Dutch manager joined United in the off-season after leading Ajax to the Dutch Eredivisie title.

TOP STORY – TEN HAG PRIORITISES NUNEZ, TIMBER DEALS    

Erik ten Hag has told Manchester United to make the signings of Benfica's Darwin Nunez and Ajax's Jurrien Timber as the first order of business this off-season, according to the Mirror.

Ten Hag wants to make six signings, with the Benfica striker and Ajax defender at the top of his priorities, with respective £80million and £35m price tags.

The two players would effectively be the first dominoes in the row, given the cumulative hit to their transfer budget. 

ROUND-UP

– Ten Hag and United are also considering a bid for Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante, according The Guardian.

– Meanwhile, Blues boss Thomas Tuchel will hold talks with Conor Gallagher over his future after his loan spell at Crystal Palace, per Fabrizio Romano.

– Romano is also reporting Ivan Perisic is set to sign this week for Tottenham on a free transfer from Inter.

– Roma boss Jose Mourinho is hoping to beat his former clubs in United and Spurs in the race to sign Paulo Dybala from Juventus, TyC Sports is reporting.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says he was disappointed with Arsenal's failure to qualify for the Champions League, as he had hoped to face his former club with Barcelona.

Despite enjoying an encouraging campaign under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal missed out on a top-four finish to fierce rivals Tottenham after losing two of their final three games of the Premier League season.

Their late-season collapse meant Arsenal have not finished in the Premier League's top four since Arsene Wenger's Gunners finished second to Leicester City in the 2015-16 campaign.

Aubameyang, meanwhile, departed the Emirates Stadium in January after four years at the club, scoring 13 goals in all competitions for Xavi's Barcelona as the Blaugrana secured second in LaLiga.

That return made the Gabon forward Barca's joint-top goalscorer for the campaign along with Memphis Depay, despite him making just 23 appearances since his arrival at Camp Nou.

Speaking to Sky Sports while attending the Monaco Grand Prix, the 32-year-old admitted he was sad to see his former club miss out on a place in European football's premier competition, but hopes they can impress upon their return to the Europa League. 

"Yeah, [they came] really close. I think they did a lot of improvements," Aubameyang said.

"I'm a bit sad because I wanted to play them in the Champions League. I have a lot of friends over there, but I'm wishing them all the best for next season.

"Obviously, I think it's going to be a good thing for them to get back to the Europa League as well, hopefully they can win it."

Mohamed Salah has revealed how missing out on the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2020-21 season, when Tottenham's Harry Kane pipped him by just one goal, motivated him to enjoy an incredible individual campaign for Liverpool this time around.

Salah finished as the Premier League's joint-highest goalscorer this season, matching Son Heung-min's tally of 23 goals as Liverpool finished just one point short of champions Manchester City.

The forward also edged out team-mate Trent Alexander Arnold by one league assist, laying on 13 goals to emulate Kane's feat of winning both awards in the 2020-21 campaign, as he led Liverpool's fight for silverware. 

Having already lifted the EFL Cup and FA Cup this season, Jurgen Klopp's team could add the Champions League when they face Real Madrid in Saturday's final, with the Egypt winger looking for revenge after sustaining an injury in Liverpool's 2018 defeat to the same opponents.

Speaking to Rio Ferdinand for BT Sport ahead of that contest in Paris, Salah revealed how missing out on topping the Premier League's goalscoring charts last season motivated him to "work like crazy" to outdo his fellow forwards this term.

"When I signed here, I can't say I thought 'I expect myself to go and win three golden boots!'", Salah said. "But in the first season [2017-18] I was fighting with Kane in the beginning, and I thought I had a big chance to win it.

"When I won it from Kane – and Kane was winning it [each of] the two years before – in the summer I went on holiday and said, 'look, why not?' I did it one time, I took it from Kane, a top goalscorer, so give it a try for a second one.

"I won it the second year, and once I won the second one, I said, 'you've got to go for four or five!' I think in my mind, for five years now I've always competed for it. I lost some, [like] last season in the last game to Kane.

"That last year was painful for me, trust me! It pushed me to be who I am now, this year. 

"I believe that last season as a team, it was not really good, but for the golden boot, in the last game, with one goal difference... that's not good.

"It didn't kill my summer, I was so motivated, I was working [like] crazy. I said 'look, next year I'm going to win both things – golden boot and assists. I'm going for both from now'. I was working like crazy and I did it."

Despite Liverpool finishing third last season after enduring an injury-hit campaign, Salah scored 22 league goals, only to see Kane net his 23rd in a final-day 4-2 win over Leicester City.

But the Liverpool star responded to win his third Golden Boot in five seasons this term, drawing level with Kane and Alan Shearer with three such awards. Only Thierry Henry, with four, has won more.