Mo Salah Anfield exit kickstarts biggest issue Liverpool have faced for almost a decade

Less than a year later, Liverpool, inspired by Salah’s 29 league goals and 18 assists, clinched the title with four games remaining.

“We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season,” Salah had promised.

He delivered emphatically with arguably his greatest season in red - which takes some doing given he had scored 44 goals in all competitions in his first season.

Liverpool need leaders but are going to find themselves in short supply

Salah inspired Liverpool in a way that only true greats do.

Not just with his on-pitch quality but also his commitment, dedication and leadership away from the pitch, in his own time and around the training ground. Not just keeping standards, but setting them and driving them. Raising the bar of others, inspiring younger players, and driving the team forward.

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“Your mentality is second to none and a lot of people could take note,” Andy Robertson penned in his tribute to his teammate of the last nine seasons.

“You have pushed yourself every single day and always demanded more from yourself and others.”

You can’t help but read Robertson’s words and ponder if they were quite pointed; 'a lot of people could take note.'

It could be because many feel that Salah is still, for all his goals, assists, awards, trophies and records broken, actually underappreciated, especially outside of Liverpool corridors.

But could Robertson also be pointing at others who don’t show the same mentality and commitment?

Liverpool leadership exodus

The Scot will almost certainly depart alongside Salah this summer, and the two nine-year veterans won’t be the only influential players to head out the Anfield exit doors in the next 16 months.

Joe Gomez, the current longest-serving player, will likely field offers and be allowed to go with one year remaining on his contract. Curtis Jones, the only senior local player left in the squad, is expected to depart after a breakdown in contract talks and also with only a year left on his deal. An agreement with Ibrahima Konate looks increasingly unlikely, too.

The following summer, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, arguably the duo that transformed the club more than any in recent times, will see their contracts expire.

That would mean that from the title-winning squad last season, realistically, only five senior players would remain at Anfield just two years later - Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Bradley. Although, Mac Allister’s future also looks unclear.

So, that could easily be just four players from the 2025 title-winning squad still at the club in summer 2027.

Not only is that a huge issue in terms of turnover, but it also leaves a huge vacuum of leadership. It isn't just a rebuild or a transition; it's a complete wiping of the culture of the playing squad.

Liverpool had, until recently, a formal 'leadership group', which contained, over the years Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Salah, Robertson and Alisson. But Arne Slot reportedly moved away from such formality last year.

All this begs the question: who are the next leaders of this Liverpool squad? Who will set the standards day-to-day?

With the greatest respect, Szoboszlai may be enjoying an impressive season, but he isn't in the same calibre yet, even upsetting some fans with recent social media posts the day after defeats.

Salah, Van Dijk, Alisson... Henderson, Milner or Steven Gerrard before them, wouldn’t be posting thanks to a Real Madrid player on social media the day after a defeat to bottom club Wolves. Tone deaf and out of touch were just two of the phrases uttered by some.

The likes of Van Dijk, Alisson, Salah and Robertson are a little more in touch with supporters. They understand the weight - and privilege - of being a Liverpool player. No talk of wanting a move to Real Madrid.

For them, Liverpool was the destination, not the journey. These players, true leaders on and off the pitch, understand the club, the city, the supporters, the history, the heritage, the culture. They, for want of a better but oft-used phrase in football parlance, just ‘get it’ - and in turn, supporters recognise it.

Liverpool need to recruit new leaders of the same calibre - players who want to ‘push the train’. Finding them this time around may prove much more difficult than it was in 2018.