Graeme Souness blasts Mohamed Salah and points finger of blame amid Liverpool struggles
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EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool legend Graeme Souness on Mohamed Salah's exit and a tough season for Arne Slot, where the Reds only really have Champions League qualification left to play forMohamed Salah looks on during a Liverpool warm-up.(Image: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has blasted Mohamed Salah ahead of his end-of-season exit — saying that the troubles this term are down to the players, and not Arne Slot.The Reds were hammered by Manchester City in the FA Cup at the weekend, and followed that up with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to PSG in Europe, which has surely put the tie beyond them. But Souness says Slot is not the man to blame."Given the nature of football today and the pressure that managers are under, [Slot's] future will be decided by results between now and the end of the season," Souness told Liverpool.com, on behalf of Sky Bet.READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs PSG as Hugo Ekitike struggles but one 8/10READ MORE: Arne Slot change proves ineffective as brutal Liverpool truth clear - 5 talking points vs PSG"Qualifying for the Champions League keeps him in the job.
Winning the Champions League certainly keeps him in a job — that’s a big trophy at this club."Souness was speaking ahead of the first leg in the Champions League quarter-final against PSG, in which Liverpool improved but was comfortably second-best.And in that game, not only was Salah left out of the starting XI, but the Egyptian also wasn't turned to at all in the game, where he was left to watch on from the bench.Mohamed Salah has announced that he will leave Liverpool this summer (Image: Getty Images)"Mohamed Salah should have gone at the start of the season when they’d have got real value for him," Souness explained."Now he’s walking away on a free and I’m not happy about that. Had he not done, he would have gone on a free then, but this term, the explosive interview at Elland Road was one of a few difficult moments.Arne Slot said he will not disclose why Mohamed Salah felt leaving Liverpool this summer was the right course of action"It’s the one thing Mo Salah’s agent will have pointed out to the club," Souness claimed.
I think he leaves under a cloud."There’s no other reason to let a player like him leave on a free unless you’re worried about the impact of keeping an unhappy Salah in the dressing room."Without Salah, regardless of what happens between now and the end of the season in May and who ends up being in charge, Liverpool will have to improve substantially next year.But Souness says the troubles of this season have been down to the players — not Slot.Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kitsThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. This is down to the players."You can’t go from being the best team around consistently and you win the Premier League and that’s what you have to be, consistently the best [to win the league]."Then you drop way down to being a top six team, at best, and struggling to qualify for the Champions League.