Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has drawn a direct comparison between Francisco Conceicao and Mohamed Salah, after the 23-year-old continued his encouraging recent form with an assist in a 2-0 win over Genoa.
The timing is significant. Liverpool have already made first contact over a potential move for the Portuguese winger, who is valued at around €45m, and are actively considering him as a replacement for Salah ahead of the summer window. Spalletti’s comments, relayed by TuttoSport, will only intensify the debate around whether Conceicao is genuinely ready to fill that kind of role.
What Spalletti said about Francisco Conceicao and the Salah comparison
The Italy boss was detailed in his assessment, acknowledging both the similarities and the gap that still exists between Conceicao and the Liverpool captain.
“It’s a fair comparison because Francisco is a young player and still has a lot to learn, as well as convincing himself that he can play on the pitch. Having him behind him shouldn’t make him feel the anxiety he clearly has, because if he receives the ball on the outside and looks at you, he becomes un-markable; he’s truly strong.”
Spalletti also pinpointed the key area where Conceicao needs to develop further.
“It’s also clear that in seven or eight situations, he creates several threats, but he needs to improve his decision-making. Even when he goes head-on to play one-on-one, he needs to have some perspective, that is, see who I can pass the ball to. For now, he does one thing at a time: either he faces the man or passes to his teammate.”
On Salah specifically, Spalletti was generous in his praise while reinforcing the distance Conceicao still needs to cover.
“His qualities as a wide striker make him one of the strongest I’ve seen, but he needs to improve his shooting because Salah is at the top level in that regard. He has this intensity and ferocity in one-on-one situations that always creates so many threats.”
Is Francisco Conceicao the right Salah replacement for Liverpool?
The honest answer right now is probably not yet, but there is something genuinely interesting here. Conceicao has contributed to only eight goals across all competitions this season, which is not the kind of output that screams immediate Salah successor. His decision-making in the final third remains inconsistent and his shooting needs work, as Spalletti himself acknowledged.
But the underlying traits are there. He is direct, difficult to contain in one-on-one situations and carries a high work rate that means he earns his minutes even when the end product is not coming. At 23, with his best years ahead of him, the raw material is not in question. Salah, it is worth remembering, was a much more complete product when he arrived at Anfield from Roma, having already proven himself consistently at a high level across multiple seasons at Fiorentina and Roma.
Conceicao may well need another season at Juventus before he is truly ready for the demands of replacing one of the Premier League’s all-time great wingers. Whether Liverpool are willing to wait for that development curve is another question entirely, and one that the summer window will answer.
