The long goodbye has begun for Mohamed Salah, the “Egyptian King” and one of the Premier League’s most decorated players.
Since arriving from AS Roma in 2017, the 31-year-old has worn the Liverpool shirt 435 times in all competitions and could yet add up to 15 more appearances before this season ends. Whatever happens with Liverpool’s remaining cup runs — they are still alive in the Champions League and FA Cup — Salah will leave having helped the club to six major trophies.
His individual record at Anfield is extraordinary: a record four Premier League Golden Boots, three PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards, and, since joining Liverpool, the most Premier League goals (189) and assists (92). He has scored 255 times for the club in total, leaving only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt ahead in Liverpool’s all-time list. Moments such as his goal celebrations — kneeling in sujood — and a trophy-laden cabinet have become part of the club’s modern folklore.
Yet the way this exit has unfolded was not the plan. Less than a year ago Salah signed a contract extension to 2027 after a season in which he led both the Premier League goal and assist charts. By December he was being benched and, after a fraught mixed-zone interview following the Leeds match, was omitted from squads. In that interview he said his relationship with manager Arne Slot had broken down and suggested someone at the club wanted him to leave.
People close to Salah say he intended to speak at Elland Road regardless of the result. The rupture began earlier, after he was rested for a Champions League trip to Eintracht Frankfurt in October — a 5-1 win — a choice that left him feeling he should remain an automatic starter given his sustained contributions. His sense of a shifting role was reinforced by Liverpool’s heavy summer investment of around £450m on attackers including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, which signalled a new attacking blueprint and that Salah might no longer be the undisputed focal point.
In the run-up to the Leeds interview, he was reportedly upset by meetings with the club hierarchy, including sporting director Richard Hughes, where the possibility of being benched was discussed. As a consequence of his comments he was left out of the trip to face Inter Milan; three days later he came off the bench against Brighton and supplied an assist, with Slot insisting there was “no issue to resolve.”
Salah then went to the Africa Cup of Nations while negotiations continued between the club and his agent, Ramy Abbas. On his return in January those close to the situation believed a verbal agreement existed for a summer departure, and BBC Sport later reported a summer exit was increasingly likely.
Salah has framed some recent social posts as the “first part of my farewell” and asked the club to be prompt in explaining matters out of respect for supporters. His agent said: “We do not know where Mohamed will play next season. This also means that no-one else knows.” The player and his family are settled in the northwest and value life in Britain, making the decision to leave especially difficult.
Whatever comes next, Salah can expect a warm goodbye at Anfield. Social media tributes have already underscored his standing with fans and colleagues. From his first Liverpool interview in June 2017, when he vowed, “I will give 100% and give everything for the club. I am happy to be here and I really want to win something for this club,” he has delivered on that promise and much more — securing his place as one of the defining figures of Liverpool’s recent era.
