The algorithm is thirsty. Every time Mohamed Salah breathes too heavily near a flight to Saudi Arabia, the data-crunchers at Fenway Sports Group start sweating through their spreadsheets. Replacing Salah isn’t just a scouting mission. It’s a hardware upgrade for a machine that’s been running on a proprietary, one-of-a-kind engine for seven years.

Now, the name bubbling to the surface is Christian Pulisic. Yes, that one.

It sounds like a move cooked up in a marketing suite rather than a tactical room. Pulisic, the "LeBron James of Soccer" according to the internet’s most annoying memes, is currently having a bit of a moment at AC Milan. He’s healthy. He’s scoring. He’s finally looking like the player Chelsea thought they bought before they decided to become a billion-dollar experiment in chaos. But asking if he can replace Salah is like asking if a sleek new iPad can replace a mainframe server. Sure, it’s shiny, but can it handle the workload?

Let’s look at the friction. Salah is a freak of nature. Not because of the pace or the left foot, but because of the availability. The man doesn't break. He plays 50 games a year, every year, with the reliability of a dial-up connection in 1998—slow to change, but always there. Pulisic, by contrast, has spent a significant portion of his career made of fine porcelain. One bad tackle and he’s out for six weeks with a "knock" that feels more like a structural failure.

Liverpool’s recruitment has always been about the "Moneyball" edge. They don't buy stars; they buy undervalued assets and overclock them. Pulisic’s price tag is the first real hurdle. AC Milan isn't going to let their new poster boy go for a discount. We’re talking €55 million, minimum, for a guy who is 26 and has already had three different career arcs. That’s a lot of capital for a player who might spend November through January in the physio room.

Then there’s the style. Under Arne Slot, Liverpool has moved away from the heavy-metal chaos of the Klopp era toward something more controlled, more technical. On paper, Pulisic fits. He’s tidy. He moves well in tight spaces. He’s developed a cynical, European edge in Italy that he lacked in London. But replacing Salah’s 30 goal-contributions a season isn't about being "tidy." It’s about being a vacuum that sucks in every half-chance and turns it into a result.

The cynic in me—the part that’s watched FSG operate for years—sees the American connection and winces. There is a deep, desperate desire in the Boston boardroom to have an American star wearing the Red shirt. It’s a commercial dream. The US market is the final frontier for club growth, and Pulisic is the only gold-standard bridge to that audience. But you don't win the Premier League with jersey sales in Ohio. You win it with a right-winger who can bully a tired left-back in the 88th minute of a rainy Tuesday in Wolverhampton.

Is Pulisic that guy? He’s better than he was at Chelsea, certainly. He’s matured. He’s found a level of consistency in Serie A that has silenced some of the "Captain America" doubters. But Serie A is played at a walking pace compared to the high-voltage electricity of the English top flight. In Italy, he has time to think. In Liverpool, he’ll have a split second before someone tries to put his ribs through his spine.

There’s also the psychological baggage. Taking Salah's spot is a thankless task. The moment Pulisic goes three games without a goal, the Anfield crowd—a group not known for their patience with "project" players—will start looking at the highlights of Salah’s 2017 season and sighing. It’s a heavy shirt to wear.

If the move happens, it won't be because the scouts think Pulisic is a better footballer than the other five names on their shortlist. It will be because the data says he’s the most "efficient" use of funds for a club trying to balance the books while keeping the American sponsors happy. It’s a calculated risk, a hedge against the inevitable decline of a legend.

But football rarely follows the spreadsheet. You can’t quantify the fear Salah puts into a defensive line just by standing on the touchline. Pulisic is a talented player enjoying a career renaissance, but he isn't a force of nature.

Does FSG want a replacement, or do they just want a distraction?