Ex-Liverpool star explains key reason Mohamed Salah has 'suffered' this season - but advises 33-year-old to swerve Saudi Arabia transfer

After inspiring the Reds to a magnificent Premier League title-winning campaign last term, Salah's relationship with the club and coach Arne Slot has turned frosty. He said the club had thrown him "under the bus" after he was left on the bench for the 3-3 draw against Leeds in December. His dip in form - he has scored five goals in 22 appearances - has coincided with the Anfield club's struggles on the field, with Slot's side sitting sixth in the league.

Liverpool legend McAllister has offered a forensic assessment of why Salah has struggled to replicate his usual astronomical numbers this season, citing the breakup of his telepathic relationship with Trent Alexander-Arnold as the decisive factor. The former Scotland international suggests that Salah has been left isolated following the right-back's move to Real Madrid, losing the one provider who understood his movement better than anyone else.

Speaking to OLBG, McAllister highlighted that the unique tactical chemistry between the two was the engine room of Liverpool’s attack for years. With Alexander-Arnold no longer at Anfield to ping precision passes into the channels, Salah’s game has inevitably suffered.

"I also think the loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a big thing for Mo as well because the combination they had on that right-hand side, whether Mo was moving inside the pitch and Trent would get high and wide, those little combinations have disappeared. They knew each other's game so well. Whenever Mo looked to spin in behind and get in behind teams, Trent was the guy that could find the pass. Mo’s suffered by losing Trent and it's just been a year of inconsistency."

In the wake of Alexander-Arnold's departure, Liverpool have turned to Jeremie Frimpong and academy graduate Conor Bradley to fill the void on the right flank. While both possess immense talent and pace, McAllister warns that it is unfair to expect them to immediately replicate the deep-rooted understanding that Salah shared with his former vice-captain.

Building a new partnership takes time, and the "year of inconsistency" Salah is experiencing is a natural by-product of this transition period. The new dynamic requires the winger to adjust his runs and timing, just as his new full-backs must learn the nuances of when to overlap or underlap the forward.

"That's not to say that Connor Bradley can't service Mo Salah or Frimpong can't come in and get that sort of relationship but that takes time because Trent and Mo had a special little bit of a relationship," McAllister added. 

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Despite the mitigating circumstances regarding his supply line, McAllister admits that Salah’s individual level has dropped below the stratospheric standards he has set since arriving on Merseyside. The former midfielder believes that Salah, a fierce competitor known for his elite mentality, would be the first to acknowledge that his performances have not been up to scratch during the 2025-26 season.

"After the season he had last year, when Mo was particularly outstanding, and right through his entire time at Liverpool, his goal scoring, his stats, his assists, everything, all his numbers are outstanding," McAllister noted. "He's a top player but he'd be the first guy to say that he's not had a great season. He's suffered a little bit of inconsistency as well."

With Salah’s future and form becoming a talking point, speculation regarding a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia has resurfaced. The rumours are compounded by what McAllister describes as a "little bit of a fallout" with Slot, fuelling suggestions that the Egyptian’s time at Anfield could be drawing to a close.

However, the 2001 treble winner has urged Salah to resist the temptation to leave Europe. McAllister is adamant that despite his age and current struggles, Salah remains physically elite and has too much quality to step down from the Premier League just yet.

"I know there's been a lot of talk about Mo maybe going to Saudi Arabia, and we had that little bit of a fallout too, but I still think he's got too much to offer," McAllister asserted. "I think he can go there but as much as he's not a young man anymore he's not old. He's still got enough to be a big performer and a big player for Liverpool."