Nine years. 257 goals. 442 appearances.
An Anfield farewell that brought an entire stadium to its feet.
Some endings, no matter what follows, are final.
The appointment of Andoni Iraola as Liverpool’s new head coach has prompted a wave of questions at Anfield.
What formation will he play?
Who will he prioritise in the transfer market?
What does his arrival mean for the players whose futures were already uncertain under Arne Slot?
All legitimate questions.
But one question that keeps resurfacing, fuelled by the optimism of supporters reluctant to fully accept the end of an era, is whether the managerial change could trigger a U-turn on Mohamed Salah.
The context behind the question is understandable.
Salah remains one of the greatest players in Premier League history.
He is Liverpool’s third highest scorer of all time, having registered 257 goals in 442 appearances across all competitions.
His 191 Premier League goals for Liverpool represent the most goal contributions for a single club in the division’s history.
He holds the record for the most games, 42, in which a player scored and assisted in the same Premier League match.
He scored 53 European goals for the club, more than any player in their history.
These are not simply impressive numbers.
They are generational numbers.
Even in his final season, Salah was a contributor.
Across 41 appearances in all competitions, he scored 12 goals and added 10 assists, averaging a goal every 138 minutes as he had done for the better part of a decade at the club.
His Egyptian national team campaign continued into the World Cup, where he registered an assist in a 1-1 draw against Belgium at the group stage on June 15, a reminder that the legs and the vision remain sharp.
But here is where the matter is settled.
According to The Athletic, there is no U-turn coming.
The departure of Salah was not a decision made by Arne Slot, and it was not undone by Slot’s subsequent exit.
Salah himself initiated the conversations that led to Liverpool agreeing to effectively tear up the final year of his contract in March, and all parties reached the conclusion together that the time was right to go their separate ways.
He received the Anfield send-off his near-decade of outstanding service deserved, and Liverpool are now firmly focused on filling the void he has left rather than reconsidering a move that is, by all accounts, completely closed.
Iraola’s arrival changes none of the underlying dynamics.
Liverpool are moving forward, with Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards leading a recruitment drive designed to build something new rather than cling to something that has run its natural course.
Salah, for his part, is weighing his options.
Fenerbahce and Al-Ittihad are currently considered the frontrunners for his signature, with interest also reported from MLS and a possible return to Italy.
At 34, he has choices and time to make them carefully.
“Leaving is never easy,” Salah said in his farewell message to supporters.
“You gave me the best time of my life.”
“This club will always be my home.”
That sentiment is reciprocated at Anfield.
But home, in this case, is now a chapter that has been lovingly closed.