Mohamed Salah has been rightly lauded as one of the greatest players ever to be seen in English club football but his departure will give Arne Slot a delicate issue to deal with
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot (L) substitutes in Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) in the second half during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on March 15, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot (L) substitutes in Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) in the second half during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on March 15, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
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Mohamed Salah has shown his value to Liverpool countless times(Image: DARREN STAPLES, AFP via Getty Images)
Within the space of hours, minutes even, the acclaim for Mohamed Salah merged into a huge mass, one tribute pretty much indistinguishable from any other. After all, there can be absolutely no qualification about Salah’s greatness.
There can be no hesitation in saluting him as a true giant of world football, one of the English game’s most magnificent imports, an Anfield titan, a unique talent. Quite simply, a one-of-a-kind player, a generational genius.
Where do you want to stop? A clinical, innovative, multi-faceted finisher. A peerless provider of chances for others.
Mentally and physically, a remarkably robust individual. A man whose style is as imposing as his statistics.
The only challenge in lauding Salah’s nine seasons with Liverpool is finding enough superlatives. Even his farewell announcement via social media was a masterpiece of its kind.
There is no debate about his place in the pantheon of Liverpool footballers, in the pantheon of footballers, full stop. But there ARE questions to be asked.
What about the timing? What next for Salah? What next for Liverpool? Why?
“This is the first part of my farewell,” he said in his statement. And for what he has done for the club, he is owed a long farewell, that is for sure.
Time will tell if that long farewell turns out to be a help or a hindrance to a finale to Liverpool’s season that could still bring glory or could still bring despondency. Maybe it will be neither.
Mohamed Salah lifts the trophy to the fans after the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield.
Mo Salah was instrumental in Liverpool winning last season's Premier League(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images/Getty Images For The Premier League)
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Arne Slot’s side could have 15 games left to play. Will this be a side-issue that Slot could do without?
Ahead of monumental fixtures such as the FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester City and the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, can Slot rely on Salah to be as laser-focused as he has been throughout his glorious Liverpool career? My guess is Slot CAN be sure.
Their situations - almost 50 years apart - are very different but you would not put it past Salah going out in the same way Kevin Keegan did. Having long announced his departure from Anfield, Keegan signed off with a starring role in the 1977 European Cup final win in Rome.
That could be the scenario for Salah, only it would be in Budapest. But Slot will have to make the call. And of the many questions, the broadest is the most intriguing. Why?
Does it suit Liverpool? Are they better without him? In his last game - particularly in the second half against Galatasaray - Salah looked on his way back to his irresistible best.
And with him anywhere near that irresistible best, Liverpool are a better team WITH him. They are losing a player who can still be a game-changer. And the bottom line is that Salah is walking out of the club a year before his contract ends.
Mo Salah on the touchline
Mo Salah will go down as one of football's all-time greats(Image: (MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
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Would Liverpool be a better team next season if it had Salah in it? You can be almost certain it would.
Sure, he would be 34. But he looks as fit as ever. Suggestions his ‘legs have gone’ are wide of the mark. Rio Ngumoha is still way too raw to be seen as an immediate successor.
If he was going to leave on a free transfer, it would surely have been more advantageous to Liverpool for it to happen at the end of next season. For what he has done for Liverpool - which is, arguably, as much as any other player in the club’s history - Salah deserves this very dignified and noble of farewells.
He deserves to leave on his terms. But whether that will be a help or a hindrance to Liverpool at the crucial business end of this season and next season remains to be seen.