King Mo's Last Dance: Liverpool's Inevitable Goodbye

By Marcus Rivera · Published 2026-03-25 · Salah will get the Liverpool farewell, but he leaves a void to fill

It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it? Discussing Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool. For seven years, he’s been the constant, the goal machine, the guy you pencil in for 20+ goals before the season even starts. Since arriving in 2017 for a then-club record £34 million, he’s delivered 211 goals in 349 appearances. That’s an absurd return, a level of consistent brilliance rarely seen at Anfield since Kenny Dalglish was lacing up his boots.

Thing is, all dynasties end. All legends move on. Salah turns 32 in June. His current contract runs until the summer of 2025. The Saudi Pro League has been sniffing around for over a year, with Al-Ittihad reportedly tabling a £150 million bid last August. Liverpool held firm then, but another nine-figure offer this summer might be too good to refuse, especially with a year left on his deal. It's a business, after all, and £100 million for a 32-year-old, even one as prolific as Salah, is hard to ignore.

The Trophy Cabinet, One Last Time?

The dream scenario, of course, involves Salah hoisting another major trophy before he departs. Liverpool are still alive in the FA Cup and, perhaps more realistically, the Europa League. Imagine Salah scoring the winner in Dublin on May 22nd, a fitting farewell to a European competition he’s dominated. He’s already lifted the Champions League (2019), Premier League (2020), FA Cup (2022), and League Cup twice (2022, 2024) with the club. Adding another piece of silverware, particularly a European one, would cement his legacy even further. He scored 31 goals in 51 games in the 2021-22 season when Liverpool won both domestic cups, showing he can still deliver in big moments.

Real talk: winning the Europa League feels more plausible than the FA Cup, given the current Premier League title race draining resources. But seeing Salah captain the side to one more trophy, perhaps even scoring a trademark curling effort in a final, would be the perfect send-off. It’s what he deserves. It’s what the fans deserve.

The Impossible Shoe to Fill

Replacing Salah’s output is the impossible task facing whoever takes over from Jürgen Klopp. It’s not just the goals; it’s the assists, the relentless pressing, the way he stretches defenses. Last season, he contributed 30 goals and 16 assists across all competitions. That’s 46 direct goal contributions. You don't just find that on the transfer market. Liverpool might need two or even three players to replicate that kind of impact.

Consider this: Darwin Núñez, for all his flashes of brilliance, has yet to hit 20 goals in a season for Liverpool. Luis Díaz, while exciting, has 24 goals in 85 appearances since joining in January 2022. Cody Gakpo is still finding his feet. The next manager will need to be a tactical genius to reconfigure the attack. They could look at someone like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli, but even he wouldn't come cheap and isn't a like-for-like replacement on the right wing. My hot take? Liverpool should seriously consider moving Trent Alexander-Arnold back into a permanent midfield role and signing a top-tier right-back, allowing them to play a more fluid front three that doesn't rely on a single dominant right-winger. It's a radical shift, but it might be the only way to evolve past Salah's departure.

Salah will get his farewell, a deserved ovation from the Kop. But the void he leaves will be a chasm, one that will take years, and perhaps a complete tactical overhaul, to truly fill.