Mo Salah, Saudi Arabia and Liverpool: A Defining Question for the Reds

Liverpool’s season is being pulled apart on The Transfer Show from Anfield Index Pro, where Trev Downey and Dave Davis explored the growing sense of unease around Arne Slot’s side and the future of Mo Salah. The conversation was honest, uncomfortable and, at times, painfully revealing about the state of the team and its talisman.

“If Mo Salah could be even 50% of the Mo Salah from last year”

Downey set the tone early, saying Liverpool looked “weak” and “underprepared for this league,” despite spending “450 million plus” over the summer. That sum, as Davis noted, was meant to fix everything, but the blueprint for beating Liverpool “is not complicated.” He laid it out plainly: “Set pieces, get the ball forward direct and fast. They cannot handle it. Pick up the second balls.”

From there, attention inevitably turned to Salah. Davis admitted, “If Mo Salah could be even 50% of the Mo Salah from last year, that would be a help.” The remark summed up how much the Egyptian’s dip in form mirrors the wider malaise at the club. He added, “He’s my favourite player, I adore the man, but you’d have to be blind to literally ignore what you see. He is struggling in many games.”

Davis described the “trade-off” Liverpool have long accepted: “Mo Salah doesn’t do much defending because like last season he’ll score all the goals and get all the assists. So, that’s what we’ll take. Just get the ball to Mo Salah. That’s been the tactic.” Now, with those returns drying up, the cost of compromise feels sharper than ever.

Saudi Arabia Rumours Resurface

It was Davis who reignited speculation linking Salah with Saudi Arabia, saying, “The great man himself, Indy Kaila, tweeted earlier today. Saudi clubs are planning a summer move for Mo Salah.” Initially dismissive, Davis admitted after “doing a bit of digging” that “you shouldn’t dismiss this.”

He revealed that such possibilities “were talked about with the contract negotiations when they were first done originally,” hinting this summer could bring serious decisions. “It feels like sacrilege to say,” Davis confessed, “but I think there’s something in this.” He went further, highlighting the financial dilemma: “You are paying him, my favourite player, but ultimate top dollar. So, if you’re not getting that in return, from a business perspective, you’ve got a big call to make, haven’t you?”

Slot, Strategy and Stagnation

Both Downey and Davis questioned whether Arne Slot can fix Liverpool’s issues internally. Davis said, “You can paper over cracks a little bit… but you definitely won’t solve them all with the personnel.” He challenged the tactical approach too: “He keeps doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result.”

Downey pressed the idea that Liverpool must rediscover their fight. “We didn’t want to hear talk about transition seasons last year, so I don’t want to hear one now,” he said. That defiant tone reflected a fanbase tired of excuses, echoing the spirit that carried Slot’s men to the Premier League title just months ago.

A Club at a Crossroads

For all the emotion, Davis returned to cold reality. “It’s not been a good season,” he admitted. “Liverpool’s strongest team doesn’t include Mo Salah.” The sentence hung heavily in the air, a striking statement given Salah’s status and legacy. If true, it symbolises how far Liverpool have slipped and how delicate their next steps must be.

As Davis put it, “There’s probably a decision to make in January, isn’t there?” That decision could define more than a transfer window. It could define the next era of Liverpool Football Club, with Salah’s relationship to Saudi Arabia speculation once again casting a shadow over Anfield.