The day has finally come. One of the greatest Liverpool players in the history of this spectacular club has made it public knowledge that the 2025/26 season will be his final one at Anfield.
255 goals and 119 assists across 435 total appearances have cemented Mohamed Salah as one of the best to ever don the beloved Red, and in fact, as one of the best Premier League players of all time.
He has won every single trophy on offer while playing for Liverpool during his near decade of service on Merseyside, along with winning 4 Premier League Golden Boots along the way.
However, following the breaking news on Tuesday, Salah only has a few months left to spoil us with his greatness.
Ready for a New Chapter
On Tuesday, Salah made a public statement announcing his intention to depart the club this summer.
""Hello everyone. Unfortunately, the day has come. This will be the first part of my farewell. I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. "Mo Salah via social media.
While there have been rumblings over the last few years that an exit for the Egyptian King was inevitable, both the player and club had held firm when offered huge mountains of cash to make an exit possible.
Last summer, Salah went as far as signing a two-year extension with the Reds in what many saw as a flag planting moment. Alas, now not even a full 10 months later, we are watching his farewell video online.
Per renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, there is an agreement between the player and club to allow a smooth exit this summer, despite having a year left on his contract. He will be allowed to leave on a free transfer.
""#LFC accept Salah's desire to try new chapter in his career after making history at Anfield.""Fabrizio Romano via X
There is no denying this has been a rough season both the player and club. Salah has not been his dominant self for much of the campaign, and things came to a head when he was benched for consecutive matches in the winter before publicly bashing Arne Slot and the club.
While that led some to believe that he might be moved in the January window, it appeared like player, coach and club all made up and things were restored to order.
The Egyptian had been in much better form over the last month prior to missing out on the Brighton defeat with a muscle issue.
Surprising, but not that surprising
While I was among the crowd that saw last summer's extension that gave Salah a huge weekly pay bump as a final two year sprint to the finish, this outcome is not as shocking after further review.
As I noted above, the rumors have been swirling for nearly two full years. That is a lot of smoke to ignore, and in the end, it proved to be something.
Now, we do not yet know where he will end up, but an exit following what has been his most tumultuous season at the club should not be that stunning of a revelation. Whether it's decreased form, a strained relationship with Arne Slot, or just a desire to find a new challenge, the melting pot of reasoning is probably fuller than we think it is.
From my perspective, the most surprising part about this was the timing. It harkens back to when Jurgen Klopp announced his coming departure in February of that season.
You could tell from that moment on there was a pressure and strain on the club and players to overperform in Klopp's final days at the helm. It had a tangible outcome on results the rest of the way.
Will Salah feel the same weight? It's hard to tell as he is not tasked with running the football club, rather just putting himself in the best position to score and create goals on matchday.
However, with so much still to play for in the league, Champions League and FA Cup; the expectations of one final Salah flurry in Red will be astronomically high.
If there is any player that has shown the mental fortitude to handle something like that, it would be Salah who has been the tip of the spear for this decade of success at Liverpool.
His arrival from Roma in 2017 kickstarted what would become the new age version of Liverpool dominance. To his credit, he has maintained those impossibly high standards for every season until now.
Even still, a down year for Salah has seen him scoring outrageous goals and creating a plethora of chances for others. He's adapted his role to fit the Slot system better, but it's clear the future is here with Hugo Ekitike. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
He has already taken a step back from his scoring burden this season to create more in a sign of his changing perspective on the game.
He's done everything a player can do with a club in terms of personal and club output. Silverware, goals, moments, and success came from this perfect pairing.
With all that in mind, the news of Mohamed Salah departing Liverpool after nine glorious years hurts, and will be difficult to process, but when you pull back, it makes more sense than one would think.