Mo Salah’s next step decided after Liverpool star’s spat with Jurgen Klopp and ‘fire’ claim

The incident will continue to be talked about during the final weeks of Liverpool’s season but what’s emerged since is a question about Salah’s future at the club once Klopp vacates the dugout at the end of the season. The Reds icon turns 32 in June and with little over a year left on his mega-money contract, the Anfield hierarchy – who rejected a huge £150million bid from Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad last summer – are faced with a decision which will not- doubt have repercussions for incoming manager Arne Slot.

Keep Salah to help herald in a new era or sell him to kickstart the rebuild?

The Mirror Football team have given their verdicts for this week’s Big Debate.

John Cross

This summer is the perfect time for Mo Salah to leave Liverpool. New manager coming in, a new start for Salah somewhere else and a new era for Liverpool under Arne Slot.

There will be no shortage of takers but I think his next stop will be a hugely lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League. He works for both Liverpool and Salah. Salah turns 32 this summer and has been one of Liverpool’s all-time great strikers and one of the best of the Premier League era.

But it is also now that we are seeing him getting niggling injuries for what feels like the first time. He has not been quite as ruthless even if his 24 goals in 41 appearances this season makes him Liverpool’s top scorer by some distance. What is really bizarre is to see some people try to rewrite history by claiming Liverpool would be better off without him.

And even have been this season when he’s been out. Really? I find that bizarre bordering on disrespectful. It also looks ugly from the outside. But all good things come to an end and I strongly suspect Slot will have to make decisions on other players, too.

What does the long term future hold for Virgil van Dijk? Will there be a major rebuild or tweaks? One thing is for sure, if they let Salah go then it will give them the cash and opportunity to start a new era under a new boss.

Andy Dunn

Arne Slot’s in-tray is already filling up but there is one task that should be at the top of the Dutchman’s to-do list… give Mohamed Salah a call. Give Mohamed Salah a call and tell him you are planning to keep him front and center of Liverpool’s footballing future.

After Salah’s spat with Jurgen Klopp, there have been suggestions the Anfield hierarchy should call time on the Egyptian’s Anfield career. Why on earth would they do that?

Why would you happily part with one of the greatest players the Premier League has seen? Why would you happily part with a player who has scored 210 goals in his 346 appearances for the club? Why would you happily part with a player who has made 88 assists in that time?

Salah turns 32 in June but his fitness levels are astonishing and he has at least three more years in the elite bracket. He might actually want to leave, he might want to run down the final year of his contract and go on a free.

But never mind the unfortunate incident at the London Stadium, Liverpool should be doing their best to make sure Slot has such a wonderful talent as Salah at his disposal.

Darren Lewis

He will leave anyway with a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer. The regret Liverpool will have is not cashing in on him last summer.

None of that is to suggest that he has become a malignant influence at Anfield just because of Saturday’s touchline spat with Jurgen Klopp. He is far from the first to clash publicly with the German. Remember his run-ins Jordan Henderson and James Milner?

Both continue to be remembered fondly in the Red half of Merseyside. Salah’s outburst was frustration. It doesn’t happen if either man is staying at Anfield. Instead both men will be a big loss.

Your turn! Should Mohamed Salah leave Liverpool this summer? Join the debate in the comments section

Simon Bird

Mo Salah had every right to be bristling at being left on the bench, and wheeled on so late in the game. What did Jurgen Klopp whisper in his ear that sparked the clash?

The boss probably wanted to provoke a reaction on the pitch rather than a strop on the touchline. This kind of thing happens a lot in private, and gets smoothed over. If Klopp were staying in charge he could oversee Salah being sold to reinvest.

Selling is an attractive option given he has a year left on his deal, and Saudi clubs could be interested. But selling the 24 goal top scorer as a new manager comes in is too much of a risk for the succession plan. It sounds perverse but Salah should be offered a one or two year extension.

If his form dips next season, cash in, but Liverpool need his goals, and some stability, to help out Arne Slot during a difficult transition for the club.

Mike Walters

Time to go, Mo. Your race at Anfield is run. Like Jurgen Klopp, the manager you subjected to a public huff at the weekend, you will leave Liverpool as a Champions League winner, a title-winner, a legend.

But the main reason another Premier League crown isn’t coming to Merseyside this season is the glut of chances Klopp’s forwards have missed in the last two months. Liverpool got knocked out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford after a masterclass in profligacy, and then you went back and squandered another hatful of chances in the league.

You were not personally responsible for those twin setbacks, but Klopp’s front line has been misfiring too often on the run-in and you must take your share of the blame. The club’s reluctance to cash in and let you join the Saudi gravy train last August was understandable because goalscorers of your quality don’t grow on trees, and your record at Anfield speaks for itself.

But if you want to be an Egyptian king in the Arab desert, now might be a good time to part company with Liverpool and give incoming manager Arne Slot some serious spending power in the summer transfer window with the proceeds. Thanks, Mo – it’s been a blast, but all good things must come to an end.

David Anderson

What seemed unthinkable a few weeks ago, looks increasingly sensitive now. Liverpool have a big decision to make this summer and they either flog Mohamed Salah or hand him a new deal because he will be entering the final 12 months of his £350,000-a-week deal.

It seemed easy when Liverpool rejected Al-Ittihad’s £150million offer for Salah last summer and there was no way they wanted to lose him. Salah is the first Liverpool player to score at least 20 goals in seven successive seasons and has totaled 210 for the club.

But he is 32 in June and he has not been the same player since he returned from his double hamstring injury in March. He has five goals and three assists in his 13 appearances since he came back and his form has dropped off a cliff.

Salah’s very public bust-up with Klopp only adds to the uncertainty over his future, especially if Al-Ittihad returns with a sizeable offer. In the changed times of PSR, £100million, or whatever Liverpool could get for Salah would help incoming boss Arne Slot improve their squad.

Maybe it is time to think the unthinkable.

Kieran King

Mohamed Salah is still Liverpool’s best attacker. The proof is in the pudding. No one has scored more for the Reds than the Egyptian this season, with 24 goals in 41 appearances. He has also got 12 assists to his name. Darwin Nunez is next on the list, with Diogo Jota coming in as third.

Despite this, I do think it’s time for Salah to move and LEAVE the club this summer. Why? With one year left on his contract, this is possibly the last chance Liverpool will have to get a huge fee for him and the Reds should not pass up that opportunity for a 31-year-old, who might not have long left at the highest level.

Salah has also not been at his best over the last couple of weeks and there are murmurings that he might not be happy after being dropped for two of the last three matches.

Harvey Elliott has impressed when Salah has not featured and could easily slot into his place under new manager Arne Slot. The Reds can reinvest the Salah fee elsewhere, too, and I think it would be best for both parties if he is sold.

Felix Keith

One of the toughest parts of management and squad building is deciding when the time has come to say goodbye. Liverpool have done a good job of it in recent years with Adam Lallana, Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane. None of whom have gone on to flourish elsewhere.

Now is that time for Salah. He is still a very good player, but there have been signs that his powers are fading this season. With Jurgen Klopp leaving, this summer represents an opportunity to turn the page. The last thing Arne Slot needs is yet another Salah transfer saga distraction.

From a purely business perspective, the Saudi Pro League represents the perfect destination for the sale of a prized asset: they will pay top dollar and Liverpool will be safe in the knowledge that they are not strengthening a rival, while any success Salah does go on to achieve will be tempered by the fact it is happening in front of a few hundred people in a backwater of world football.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.