On Tuesday, 24th March, Mo Salah revealed that he would be leaving Liverpool a year before his contract ends, at the end of the 2025/26 season. The club granted him a very lucrative two-year extension almost 12 months ago. On the back of a sensational 2024/25 campaign, when he topped the goalscoring and goal-assisting charts in the Premier League, they agreed to pay him a reported £400,000 per week.
It was a decision the club took very seriously. But given just how good he had been, his reputation for fitness and his Cristiano Ronaldo-esque commitment to preparation, plus the fact they had already lost Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free, they felt the risk was worth it. Salah turned 33 just a few months after the contract was agreed, and whether it has been age, confidence or something else, Liverpool’s gamble has not been worth it.
The Egyptian is set for his worst goals return at Liverpool and has featured in fewer games than in any previous campaign at the Merseyside club. We would not rule out Salah returning to his best for these final weeks of his near-decade association with Liverpool, and perhaps he can score the goals that lead them to glory in the FA Cup and a strong league finish. Perhaps. But whatever happens in the dying embers of Salah’s Liverpool career, he will leave as one of the greatest players the EPL has ever seen.
Salah’s Numbers
The one-time Chelsea player joined the Reds from Roma in the summer of 2017 for a fee of up to £43m, including add-ons. It seemed a lot of money at the time, despite the fact that he had shone in the Italian capital. It rapidly began to look like a bargain, though, and in his debut campaign with the Reds, Salah was crowned PFA Players’ Player of the Year. His performances even caught the attention of Pele, who tweeted, “What a season … It’s been great to watch you.”
The Egyptian netted 32 goals in 36 Premier League matches and 44 in all competitions for his new club. It was a record tally for a Premier League campaign, and Steven Gerrard said at the time, “We are witnessing the start of greatness.” The midfielder, himself a club legend, was spot on with that call.
As we head into the international break, here is a summary of Salah’s incredible stats with Liverpool:
- 255 goals in 435 games
- 122 assists for the club
- 189 Premier League goals in 310 games
- Double-digit goals in all nine Liverpool campaigns (Salah has 10 this term)
- 20+ goals in all eight completed campaigns
- 18+ league goals in all eight full seasons
Those stats and numbers alone do not, of course, tell the whole story. Salah has been Liverpool’s talisman for almost his entire stay. He has been used on the right side of a front three for the vast majority of his Liverpool games, occasionally playing as a central striker and even more occasionally as a second striker. But wherever he has played, his obvious threat has helped create space for others.
His goals tally puts him right up there with the very best, as do his numbers in terms of assists. But less measurable is his impact on games more generally and the opportunities he has provided for others. He has been a key part, probably the most important part, of Liverpool’s success over the past nine years, and however his time with the club ends, he deserves to be thought of alongside all the Reds greats of the past.
Key Honours
Salah has won almost everything during his spell with Liverpool, both with the club and individually. Here are some highlights:
- Two Premier League titles
- 1 UCL title (runner-up twice)
- 1 FA Cup
- 1 EFL Cup
- 1 FIFA Club World Cup
- African Footballer of the Year x 2
- PFA Players’ Player of the Year x 3
- FWA Footballer of the Year x 3
- Premier League Golden boot x 4 (joint record)
- Premier League Player of the Season x 2
- Premier League Playmaker of the Season (most assists) x 2
Where Does Salah Rank Among Premier League Greats?
Football existed for many years before the Premier League, but for the purpose of considering Salah’s place in the modern football pantheon, the Premier League era is a good way to consider things. In addition to the many personal and club honours he has won and his incredible stats, Salah also holds many records.
Some of these are niche, such as his record for the fewest touches to score a Champions League hat-trick (just nine by the way!). Others are more impressive, and include the fact that he is the highest-scoring African player in UCL history, or that he is the fastest Liverpool footballer to reach 50 goals for the club.
However, more than all that, we get a firmer idea of his ranking among the Premier League greats when we consider that he is joint seventh all-time for Premier League assists (and likely to move sixth before he leaves), and that he is fourth for goals. His 191 goals and, hopefully, counting, leave him behind only Wayne Rooney (208), Harry Kane (213) and Alan Shearer (260). Fans can debate the merits of Rooney over Thierry Henry, Shearer over Kane, Eric Cantona against Sergio Aguero, or any number of other Premier League legends. However, what is beyond debate is that Salah belongs in that argument.