Mohamed Salah told to leave Liverpool by club legend

Liverpool icon Graeme Souness has urged the club to part ways with Mohamed Salah, declaring that the Egyptian’s best days “are behind him” and that his sharp decline is “the single biggest reason” for the Reds’ underwhelming campaign.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, the former Anfield midfielder and three-time European Cup winner did not mince words when assessing the 31-year-old forward’s trajectory. “What happens, in my opinion and in my experience, is your career happens one of two ways. When you get to that sort of 33-34 age area, it’s either falling off a cliff, or it’s a slow decline. I think Salah is the former,” Souness said.

The statistics appear to support his stark verdict. Across all competitions this season Salah has registered ten goals and nine assists—a dramatic downturn from the 44 goal contributions he had amassed at the same stage last term and the 34 recorded the previous year. Souness argues the numbers expose an uncomfortable truth: “He’s never improved. His numbers tell you that. His numbers are way down, and he is the single biggest reason why Liverpool are having an indifferent season.”

Once viewed as the automatic match-winner who could conjure a moment of brilliance when systems faltered, Salah now looks a diminished force. Liverpool’s attacking fluency has suffered, and Souness believes the reliance on a fading star has become a strategic liability. “He’s been for six, seven years the Liverpool go-to man. He has completely changed games when it wasn’t going their way, and he has scored a ridiculous number of goals every season,” Souness acknowledged, before adding: “His best is behind him now, there’s no doubt about that.”

The Scot’s assessment carries extra weight given his storied association with the club, and it raises an awkward dilemma for manager and recruitment staff. Salah’s contract runs until 2027, but Souness advocates a ruthless approach, hinting that the forward should be moved on sooner rather than later to accelerate a squad refresh.

Liverpool’s form has oscillated throughout the season. Although they advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals after eliminating Galatasaray, Souness dismissed the Turkish side as “exceptionally poor,” arguing the tie papered over persistent cracks. Domestically, the team has slipped well below the standards that delivered a title challenge only a year ago.

Souness also cast his gaze across the Premier League, tipping Arsenal for the crown while criticising their set-piece tactics—”they get away with a hell of a lot by crowding goalkeepers”—and bemoaning “daft referees who don’t really understand the game.” He was equally scathing of Chelsea, questioning their identity under manager Liam Rosenior and ridiculing the coach’s penchant for labelling tasks as “assignments.”

Yet it is his appraisal of Salah that will dominate discourse on Merseyside. Souness frames the situation as a watershed moment: loyalty to a modern legend versus the cold, hard necessities of squad evolution. “When you get to that sort of 33-34 age area, it’s either falling off a cliff, or it’s a slow decline. I think Salah is the former,” he reiterated, underlining the urgency of a decision that could define Liverpool’s next era.

With the summer transfer window looming, Fenway Sports Group and the club hierarchy must decide whether to heed the club legend’s blunt counsel or risk prolonging a cycle that Souness believes has already run its course.