Would Mohamed Salah have stayed if he knew Arne Slot was going? Ex-Liverpool star assesses why ‘Egyptian King’ has departed his Anfield throne

Salah was handed fresh terms at Anfield towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign - as he plundered 34 goals that season, captured the Premier League title and earned a third PFA Player of the Year award.

A matter of months later, he found himself stuck on the bench and aiming an explosive blast in the direction of Slot and Co - as he claimed to have been thrown under the bus while becoming a scapegoat for collective inconsistency struggles.

Said outburst appeared to mark the beginning of the end, with it coming as little surprise when it was announced that Salah would be released from his lucrative deal in 2026 and allowed to hit free agency.

Emotional farewells to Merseyside have been bid after registering 257 goals through 442 appearances. A standing among the Liverpool greats has been secured, but could there have been a few more stories to tell before the final chapter was written?

Quizzed on whether Salah could have stayed had he known that Dutch coach Slot would be relieved of his duties, Murphy - speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of NetBet Football - said: “I think the biggest impact on him leaving is his form. I think there's always a chance if you have a much better relationship with a manager that you maybe would stay and try and recapture that form in the second season.

“I think he probably feels - we've all been there - where you can't quite hit the levels you once did, so maybe it's time to bow out before it gets worse.

“The Slot factor is definitely there. We're being naive if we don't think it is. There's a small chance, in answer to the question, that if he had a more solid relationship with the manager… but I'm not sure what manager really wouldn't have been in the same predicament as Slot and having to drop him. If anything, I'd suggest that Slot left him in too long when he was struggling. There was a cry from the fans to give him a breather and take him out of the firing line because he was struggling so much. Slot left him in for quite a lot longer than probably most would.

“So I'm not sure really, irrelevant of whether you get on with a manager, that any manager would have left him in. Therefore the problems would have started anyway.”

Salah said after taking in his final game at Anfield, with enough memories having been made across nine years at Liverpool to last a lifetime: “I look back and wonder if I would have wanted more than I achieved. Not really. We won it all. We see the love from the fans and this is the most important thing for me. I will be far away from here. I will be emotional every time. I hope the team stays in the position, fighting for everything.”

Salah - who won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with Liverpool, alongside four Golden Boots and countless other individual accolades - is yet to reveal where his next move will take him.

Teams in MLS have been credited with interest, in a switch that would see Lionel Messi joined in the United States, while big-spending sides in the Saudi Pro League are said to have eye-watering offers on the table.