Even as Liverpool weeks go, this was a big one.
The announcement that Mohamed Salah will leave the Reds at the end of season sees the curtain preparing to come down on the Anfield career of one of the club's all-time greats, and supporters are sure to spend the campaign's final weeks celebrating a player who has meant so much to so many.
On Thursday however, the announcement that the club have increased ticket prices at Anfield for the next three seasons did not go down well with many fans, including the LFC Supporters Board.
An eventful few days for our LFC Jury then, and here's what they've made of it all.
I started writing this about Mohammed Salah, who might well just be the greatest player I’ve ever seen in a Liverpool shirt. Upon the news breaking of The Egyptian King’s departure at the end of the season a carousel of goals, celebrations and memories came cascading through my mind.
Yet for many matchgoing fans, that initial moment celebration and reflection was stopped in its tracks yesterday as the club yet again announced hikes in ticket prices, this time for the next three seasons. With so many loyal fans already priced out of the game, the wave of anger and from supporters felt palpable even on the most casual scroll of the timeline.
With the atmosphere and general vibe on a downward slide, the move feels completely tone deaf and bitterly disappointing. For a club who sell hospitality packages with the slogan ‘This Means More’, it feels like they’ve wasted a major opportunity to head those words and set the narrative in an increasingly grim landscape for everyday supporters.
Oh, Mo, how did it come to this? It feels surreal that Salah will walk away this summer. His time at Liverpool is almost up. The Egyptian King has had a magisterial time at Anfield, demonstrating so much football art and heart. He has thrilled fans with his runs down the wing, his nimble footwork in the box, and his blistering finishes into the roof of the net.
After a mesmerising season last year, it’s surprising how this year has almost run in the opposite direction to last. Last year Mo was ruthless and relentless; this year, timid and relenting.
Mo has lacked a little spirit this year in his performances. He has lacked confidence and fire. His exit plans will hopefully inspire a divine end to the season because we will need help from the football gods to make this season successful.
Salah has provided fans with such much to smile about, with only the occasional frown. But that will all be erased from the memory in the years to come. Our greats are remembered because of their feats on the pitch and the trophies they win. It is unquestionable that Salah will take a seat in the hall of Liverpool greats.
Thank you, Mohamed Salah. That feels as good a place to start as any. There has been so much gratitude expressed towards, and by, the Egyptian King over his nearly nine years at Liverpool. That has been especially evident since he announced on Tuesday that he will depart at the end of this season.
The scale of his impact, of the success he’s contributed to, since his June 2017 arrival would have been difficult to fathom then. It arguably still is now. A transformative, transcendent figure.
255 goals and 119 assists in 435 appearances, to date, tell a story, but only partly. As do the eight major trophies – those two cherished Premier League titles and that cathartic Champions League triumph among them – and the countless personal honours. He has made the extraordinary routine and the routine extraordinary.
Behind those astounding numbers are priceless, timeless moments. There’s been an unassuming, driven, calculated efficiency to his ever-evolving excellence, and yet an overarching, ever-present warmth.
Planning beyond him feels odd but, as ever, the club has to keep moving. It was always going to sting, but the timing feels sensible in several regards.
The league run-in and those quarter-finals will be zooming into view soon; so often the kind of occasions he’s thrived upon. Hopefully there’ll be more moments to be grateful for in the coming weeks.
Mark is a Content Editor at Reach PLC's Liverpool Hub, and was appointed to the role in 2025. Prior to that appointment he worked solely for the Mirror for nine years, primarily in the role of Sports Features Editor. An experienced sports writer and editor, Mark worked for the Mirror at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and at Euro 2024 in Germany. A regular contributor to podcasts and videos, his work can be seen both in print and online, and his exclusive interview with the Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk in April 2024 is one of many successful projects Mark has completed for Reach PLC.
