James Pearce has emphatically declared that there is ‘no chance’ of Mo Salah reversing his decision to leave Liverpool this summer, regardless of recent developments.
The Egyptian bade a poignant farewell at Anfield last month after nine years on Merseyside, ending his contract 12 months early after a tumultuous campaign in which a fractured relationship with Arne Slot was laid bare in two separate public outbursts.
The Dutchman has since been sacked, with Andoni Iraola hired as his replacement, but that isn’t likely to trigger a sudden change in the winger’s plans.
In the latest instalment of The Athletic‘s Transfer DealSheet, Pearce was asked if there was any chance of a sudden reunion between Salah and Liverpool in light of the coaching change.
The journalist outlined: ‘No chance. Salah got the Anfield send-off he deserved at the end of the season after nearly nine years of outstanding service.
‘All parties felt that it was the right time to go their separate ways, with Salah having initiated the talks that led to Liverpool agreeing to effectively rip up the final year of his contract in March.
‘Arne Slot’s subsequent exit and the appointment of Iraola changes nothing. Liverpool are focused on filling the Salah void this summer, and the Egyptian is weighing up his options as he prepares to embark on a new challenge at the age of 34.’
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Every so often in football there are ‘fairytale’ reunions, such as when Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United in 2021 or Robbie Fowler coming back to Anfield 20 years ago, but realistically it’s not going to happen with Salah and the Reds this summer.
As Pearce outlined, the relationship between club and player appeared to reach a natural conclusion, and he departed to a heroic send-off three weeks ago as fans made the most of their opportunity to honour him with a raucous goodbye.
Liverpool would’ve known of his intentions several months ago and begun planning accordingly, hence the intensifying rumours over a potential swoop for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande as his replacement on the right flank.
Salah showed at the World Cup with his assist for Emam Ashour’s wonder goal for Egypt against Belgium on Monday that he remains capable of impacting matches at the highest level.
Would part of us love to see him executing a Hollywood-esque plot twist and announcing a sudden return to the Reds? Absolutely.
However, we realise that it’s a utopian scenario rather than a realistic one, and we’re just grateful for everything that he did give to Liverpool whilst eagerly anticipating the possibility of Diomande coming in to take his place on the right flank.
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