Doesn’t help Liverpool – John Barnes admits frustration at timing of Mo Salah announcement

John Barnes has voiced his unease over Mohamed Salah’s decision to announce his Anfield exit midway through the campaign, arguing that the revelation has arrived at a moment when the club can ill-afford further distraction. Speaking to talkSPORT, the former Liverpool winger said the 33-year-old Egyptian should have waited until the season’s conclusion before confirming that his eighth year on Merseyside will be his last.

Salah, who joined from Roma in 2017 and has since collected every major honour with the Reds, stunned supporters last week by using his own social-media channels to declare that the current term will serve as his farewell tour. The statement landed while the team is struggling for consistency and, according to Barnes, risks deepening the unease around the squad.

“I don’t think it was a good time for him,” Barnes explained. “We should have really got it at the end of the season and then he left, rather than announcing it now because I don’t think that necessarily helps. It doesn’t help Liverpool. Liverpool aren’t doing particularly well, so that is a negative. Does that help the manager, Slot, in terms of the fans loving him when Salah’s not playing? He wants to go, but that’s not really going to help.”

Although Salah signed a two-year extension only last summer, his influence has waned in recent months, prompting widespread acceptance among supporters that a parting of ways is logical. Yet Barnes believes the public confirmation has merely added pressure on manager Arne Slot at a juncture when unity is required.

The announcement does guarantee Salah a long goodbye, allowing supporters to celebrate a player who has shattered goalscoring records and delivered decisive moments across all competitions. By contrast, Trent Alexander-Arnold waited until the closing weeks of last season to clarify his future before ultimately departing for Real Madrid, a delay that cost him considerable goodwill on the Kop. Salah’s transparency, while commendable in intent, has nevertheless raised questions over whether the timing benefits anyone beyond opposing teams eager to exploit uncertainty.

With his contract expiring in June, Salah will depart as a free agent, yet his immediate priority remains silverware. The winger is determined to add at least one more trophy to his personal haul before the curtain falls on a glittering Liverpool career.

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