Mohamed Salah has revealed how Steven Gerrard had dinner at his house to persuade him to leave Liverpool in the right way rather than a January exit.
Having claimed in December that he no longer had “any relationship” with Arne Slot and accused the club of ‘throwing him under the bus’, Salah considered leaving Liverpool in January.
Thankfully, he decided to stay until the end of the season, mutually agreeing with the club to terminate his contract a year early.
The 33-year-old will now get a deserved send-off in the last match of the season against Brentford and that is, it seems, partly down to Gerrard’s intervention.
The ex-Liverpool captain put it to Salah, on TNT Sports, that he could have left via a ‘side door’ mid-season. The No. 11 responded: Yeah, I’m happy now.
“I remember we had that conversation, I appreciated that. I think people didn’t know that you came to my house. I hope it was a good dinner!
“We had a good conversation and you said your opinion, and I think I really, really appreciate it.
“Yeah, I’m glad that I’m leaving now from a big door and I think this is also something you mentioned to me, just leaving on your terms, and I still remember those words.
“So yeah, I’m happy about it. Everything that’s going on this season makes me like, ‘Now it’s time to go’.”
Mo Salah: “I didn’t become old overnight”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, April 14, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. PSG won 2-0 on the night, 4-0 on aggregate. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Salah feeling aggrieved at being dropped from the starting XI in some fixtures, his relationship with Slot broke down.
While there has clearly been a drop-off in performance levels from last season to this, the fall from player of the year to struggling winger has been surprisingly steep.
Salah added: “I didn’t become old overnight, so last season I had this incredible season. I think I have a lot to give still, and I will see what’s best for me.
“But also, to go through the season, I feel like, ‘OK, you know what? This is the right thing to do now and I have peace with it’.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 11, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (R) is greeted by assistant coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst as he is substitued off during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“The season was tough for all of us, and yeah, I don’t want to say much.”
Salah’s comments clearly indicate he has his grievances with the way the team have been managed this season.
Though his decline was inevitable eventually, he will argue it has been accelerated – and he might be right.