Graeme Souness: Mohamed Salah's struggles were key to Liverpool's poor season

Club legend Graeme Souness, 73, has made a striking assertion about Mohamed Salah's, 34, recent performance at Anfield. The star, who has since moved to Trabzonspor in the Süper Lig, believes Salah was the main reason for Liverpool's inconsistent previous season.

Souness told the Daily Star: "The main reason Liverpool didn't play well last year is Mohamed Salah. I believe he caused real problems within the team."

Under former manager Arne Slot, 48, Salah lost his starting spot on the right wing at the end of 2025. He publicly criticized the situation following a last-minute draw against then-newly promoted Leeds United, also taking aim at his coach. Salah stated at the time that he felt "thrown under the bus." For Souness, this was unacceptable: "He caused real unrest in the team when he was dropped. His statement after the Leeds game, when he said he felt let down. That damaged the team's stability."

Souness, who played for Liverpool for six years, captained the team, and later coached there for three years, saw the forward's decline begin months earlier. "I saw him in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace," Souness recalled of the Super Cup loss (4:5 on penalties) to the then-FA Cup winners. "He was practically uninvolved in the game. I initially thought he might have had a problem or a short preparation. But that's just how he played all season. He wasn't in top form at all."

Liverpool entered the previous campaign as title holders but, despite a significant spending spree and new signings worth nearly €500 million, fell out of the title race early. Instead, the team limped into the Champions League spots.

At the end of the season, manager Slot was dismissed, and Salah also left Liverpool after ten years ahead of schedule. In the spring, he had agreed with the club to terminate his contract, which was originally set to run until 2027.

How successful was Mohamed Salah at Liverpool?

The World Cup participant (119 caps for Egypt) joined the Reds from Roma in 2016 for a €42 million transfer fee. Under long-time manager Jürgen Klopp, 59, he became a key player and fan favorite. With Liverpool, Salah won, among other titles, the Champions League, two English league championships, and the FA Cup. He ranks third in the club's all-time scoring list with 257 goals in 442 appearances. He was the Premier League's top scorer four times.

However, the 2025/26 season was weak by his own standards: Salah scored twelve goals and provided ten assists in 41 matches.

After weeks of searching for a new club, he surprisingly signed for Trabzonspor in the summer. He penned a deal there until 2028 and has contributed five scorer points (four goals, one assist) in his first five league games.