It’s been a challenging period for both Liverpool and Mohamed Salah lately. With Jürgen Klopp’s departure approaching, the Reds have exited the FA Cup, Europa League, and now find themselves out of the Premier League title race.
Previously positioned for a potential quadruple, Liverpool is now set to conclude the season with the Carabao Cup and a Champions League spot.
While this might have seemed like progress last summer, there are now talks of significant changes needed due to defensive and offensive shortcomings.
However, Liverpool is likely to adopt a more long-term perspective. Recent weeks have been tough, but the core elements that propelled them towards the title race haven’t suddenly become inadequate—mainly, injuries have taken a toll.
Reports suggesting Liverpool is preparing to part ways with Salah have emerged. Sporting director Richard Hughes is reportedly behind the decision to offload the Egyptian forward.
Speculation surrounding Salah’s future is fueled by his recent form post-injury and the fact that his contract expires in 2025. At 31, questions about his longevity have surfaced, especially considering his recent performance struggles.
While that’s undeniable, the broader reality remains evident. Salah has contributed 24 goals and 13 assists for Liverpool this season — a figure that would have been notably higher if Darwin Núñez, in particular, had been more clinical with the chances created for him.
Despite not being at his peak, Salah has still managed to score five goals in the nine Premier League matches he’s played in 2024, which, while not exceptional, is far from poor. Given the high standards he’s set for himself, he’s judged differently from other players.
Only Diogo Jota at Liverpool has a slightly better goals-per-minute ratio this season than Salah, and that’s by a mere five minutes. However, Liverpool can’t overly rely on Jota’s fitness either. Despite recent concerns, Salah’s injury history has generally been solid.
Among Liverpool’s five forwards, Salah remains the most dependable in terms of goal-scoring reliability and availability for selection.
He could benefit from a reset and a reduction in pressure from those around him. If Núñez hadn’t experienced a dip in form simultaneously with Salah and if Jota hadn’t been sidelined at an unfortunate moment, criticism of Salah’s form would likely have been less pronounced.
Considering Salah is now in his thirties, has recently faced his first injury at Liverpool, and will soon enter the final year of his contract, it’s not inconceivable to suggest he could be sold this summer. However, such a move would entail significant risks.
Parting ways with their most dependable forward at a time when there are doubts about the consistency and availability of the other four forwards would be a major gamble. This risk would be further amplified if it occurs in the same summer as a managerial change.
