Five-star Liverpool don’t need struggling Mo Salah after West Ham demolition

0 goals in 10 games 

Liverpool fans used to serenade Mohamed Salah on a weekly basis, with chants of ‘Egyptian King’ emanating from the Kop. But over the last six months, the intensity of that affection has faded. That was evident when their star attacker of the season, €95 million summer signing Hugo Ekitiké, scored the opener against West Ham on Saturday with an incisive finish. As Ekitiké lapped up the adulation from his teammates and supporters, Salah was a mere spectator and looking on rather enviously.

The Frenchman then set up two more goals for Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo respectively, with a Virgil van Dijk header and an own goal from Axel Disasi giving Arne Slot a comfortable 5-2 victory as goals from Tomáš Souček and Taty Castellanos were mere consolations for the visitors. But the most glaring omission from the goals and assists contributions list was Salah, who has suffered an alarming dip in form this season.

An unwanted record

If anyone predicted that he would have four league goals to his name on March 1, 2026 some 12 months ago, they would have been ridiculed. This is a player who once scored 32 goals in a 38-game season, a player who has 252 goals for Liverpool in eight and a half seasons at Anfield, and one who reached 100 Premier League goals quicker than any other player in the club’s history.

Yet, the reality is a brutal one for Salah, whose failure to score means he has gone 10 games without a league goal for the first time in his career. He last found the net on November 1, 2025 against Aston Villa, and the fact he now has the same number of non-penalty goals as Van Dijk, a centre-back, exhibits just how far the Egyptian has fallen.

Accustomed to playing the role of Liverpool’s talisman, Salah has faded from prominence and now feels like an accessory to this team, rather than a player who leads by example. His tally might have been even lower had club-record summer signing Alexander Isak not suffered a broken leg, condemning the Swede on the sidelines for several months.

Taking penalties remains his duty, but the glory no longer belongs to him, with fans rightfully hailing the efforts of Dominik Szoboszlai this term. As the graphic below demonstrates, the sudden drop in goals can largely be attributed to his advancing years after so many years at the top.

Slot has his Salah replacement already

Given that Salah will be 34 in June and this season has fallen under a dark cloud, it hasn’t come as much of a surprise that his powers are starting to wane. The winger fell out with Slot earlier this season and threatened to leave Anfield before making amends following the Africa Cup of Nations. The Dutchman has responded by giving Salah ample time to make an impact on the pitch, but his performances have been quiet by his lofty standards. It’s not even as if he’s fluffing his lines, he just isn’t getting chances – inside or outside the box – to score.

Slot namechecked Rio Ngumoha earlier this week and praised the Chelsea academy product for his impact from the bench. Despite turning 17 last year, the explosive winger has also provided one game-winning moment when he slotted home against Newcastle earlier in the season. Ngumoha typically likes to play from the left, but the teenager surely won’t complain if he is selected ahead of Salah as Slot plans for the future.

Saudi Arabia move beckons

The issue for Liverpool now is that their all-time record Premier League goalscorer has a contract until June 2028 after signing a new deal in the summer. While a move to with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia isn’t out of the question, Salah has snubbed their advances twice now and teams from the Arabian Gulf might not been keen to attract any more public embarrassment. What’s more, it would take a significant financial offer to both Salah and Liverpool to lure him to the Pro League, not just in terms of wages but also considering his €30 million market value.

Liverpool took a big step towards Champions League qualification for 2026/27, capitalising on Aston Villa’s shock 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Friday by moving into the top four. As the Merseyside club continue to fight with Manchester United and Chelsea for those places, all eyes on will be on whether Salah can play his part. If Slot doesn’t see a marked improvement from the veteran star in the coming months, another awkward transfer saga could be heading their way this summer.