Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah is nearing the end of his road at Anfield.
Liverpool have been told that they could only persuade Mohamed Salah to stay for another season at Anfield beyond this one, if they decide to sack Arne Slot. Meanwhile, a former Reds star has weighed whether the Egyptian’s actions this season will tarnish his legendary status at Anfield.
Salah has proven to be one of the greatest players in Premier League history, with an incredible tally of 251 goals in his 425 appearances for the club so far. Having won eight major titles and contributed a further 118 assists in those games, the Egyptian’s place in Liverpool folklore is assured.
Tonight Liverpool played Sunderland away at the Stadium of Light, Mohamed Salah did not get on the scoresheet, but provided an assist.
However, with his deal on Merseyside due to expire in the summer of 2027, and after the player fell out with manager Arne Slot earlier this season after being dropped from the team for three consecutive games – resulting in a public tantrum of “threw me under the bus” – speculation that his time at Anfield could be coming to an end has been intensified.
And even though the two men have since sorted things out and Salah has been reinstated in the team, there is still a strong belief that this summer will finally lead to a showdown after nine mostly brilliant years with the club.
Although former Reds star Danny Murphy believes the end for Salah is in sight, he hinted in an interview with TEAMtalk that he could still stay, but only if Slot left as manager.
“I think so, yes [he will leave this summer]. I know he has a contract longer, but with what has happened, how the team has performed and how he has performed, I think it would surprise most people if he stayed for another year. The only caveat would be if a new manager came in and really wanted to build a team around him, try to get one more year out of him and have that conversation. I don’t know Mo Salah personally, but maybe he would have a new impulse, a new life, with a different manager.”
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“It seems that even though he has been playing since he came back from the Africa Cup of Nations, things may not be the same as before. We don’t think it’s been an excuse – we haven’t heard about it – but they’ve embarked on it for the good of the club.”
“Inevitably, as you get older, you probably struggle, as most of us did, to accept that you’re not necessarily as important, that you’re not playing every game and every minute, no matter what you’ve done before. Despite the fact that what he has done before is phenomenal. I think it would be a surprise if he still has a Liverpool shirt at the start of next season…”
Mohamed Salah: Have selfish actions tarnished his Liverpool legacy?
The question was also put to Murphy whether Salah has tarnished his legacy at Anfield by speaking out so publicly against the club, and whether Steven Gerrard’s place as the club’s greatest player ever remains untouched as a result.
Giving an honest answer, Murphy continued: “I think Stevie will always be thought of with greater affection, mainly because he’s one of their own, a true Scouser, and he dragged the team through a very difficult period more or less on his own. While Salah had the help of [Sadio] Mané, [Roberto] Firmino and others during the successful period.”
“I don’t think this particular outburst, or any of his selfishness over the last year or the last 18 months in interviews and the way he’s behaved at times – whether it’s on the bench or when he’s being substituted – is going to hurt his legacy. I still think he will be held in very high regard. He will continue to be loved and adored by millions of Liverpool fans across the planet because of what he has contributed over a long period of time. And you’re not always appreciated as much until you’ve left.”
Murphy continued: “The biggest compliment you can give Mo Salah is that when you’re talking about the greatest Liverpool teams ever, and you’re talking about some phenomenal players over the decades, he’s in the conversation. The fact that he is in that conversation places him in a very elite group of players who are adored and who have contributed immensely to Liverpool’s success during their tenure. So I don’t think his legacy will be tarnished by anything he’s done.”
“But when it comes to the comparison with Stevie, you’re talking about a Scouser captain at his club, who played there his whole career and dragged Liverpool through so many moments to win silverware, to create memories and history for the club, something Mo hasn’t quite achieved in the same way in the biggest finals.”
