Soccer
Stephen Warnock believes Mohamed Salah is among the greatest players to ever play for Liverpool, alongside Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard.
It was announced on Tuesday that Salah’s stellar nine-year stint at Anfield would come to an end following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.
The club confirmed that an agreement had been reached between the two parties, with reports suggesting the 33-year-old will leave Merseyside on a free transfer, despite still having one year left on his current deal.
Salah joined Liverpool in 2017 from Roma and has gone on to become a key part of the Reds’ recent success under both Jurgen Klopp and, more recently, Arne Slot.
He has won eight major honours for the club, which includes two Premier League titles, one of which came last season, and their 2018-19 Champions League crown.
The Egyptian has made 435 appearances in all competitions, scoring 255 goals as well as providing 119 assists for his team-mates. He is third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list, behind only Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).
And Warnock, who was at Liverpool from 2002 until 2007, said that Salah has put himself in the conversation to be named as one of the best players to play for the Reds.
“There was a poll recently on Liverpool’s website talking about the greatest players that have ever played for Liverpool and I actually watched one with Phil Thompson, and Phil Thompson has obviously played with Kenny Dalglish,” Warnock told Stats Perform.
“He’s been part of the coaching staff that was with Steven Gerrard, and then he’s watched from afar with Mohamed Salah, and he rates them as the three best players that have ever played for Liverpool. I never saw Kenny Dalglish play.
281 – Mohamed Salah has 189 goals and 92 assists in 310 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, the most goals and assists combined any player has for a single club in Premier League history. King. pic.twitter.com/GIzaP3hojp
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 24, 2026
“I played with Gerrard, I know his abilities, and I’ve never played with Mohamed Salah, but I was able to watch him.
“But from seeing videos of Kenny, and the way that he played, and seeing Gerrard and Salah, I think it’d be very tough to argue against those players being the top three players.
“And to even put yourself in that category of being in the top five, top 10 players, to ever wear a Liverpool shirt is incredible.
“Yeah, I’d probably have to say, from what I’ve seen, you’d put him in third place.”
Salah has 189 goals and 92 assists in 310 Premier League outings for Liverpool, the most goals and assists combined any player has for a single club in Premier League history.
He has also scooped two Premier League Player of the Year awards, the latest of which came in 2024-25 after a stunning individual season led Liverpool to a 20th top-flight title.
His 284 goal contributions overall in the English top-flight is a total only bettered by Rooney (311) and former Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers forward Alan Shearer (324).
But Salah’s attacking output has not just been limited to England. On the European stage, he has scored 47 Champions League goals, more than any other Liverpool player.
However, Salah has struggled to hit those same heights this season, registering just 10 goals and nine assists from 34 outings in all competitions.
And Warnock believes the timing of Salah’s departure is timely to ensure he preserves his legacy as a Liverpool legend.
“[Mo Salah] doesn’t want someone else releasing the news, but also he probably feels that now is the time to move on while he’s remembered for his legacy,” Warnock added.
“He doesn’t want to start declining at Liverpool and people remembering him in a way that we haven’t seen over the nine years that he’s been at the football club.
“Again, we don’t know the ins and outs, whether there’s been an issue with the manager, whether he’s unhappy behind the scenes.
“We have no idea, but having listened to and watched his video, I think you can see how much he loves the football club, how much he’s enjoyed his time there.
“So maybe it’s a part of his career that he just thinks now’s the time, the right time to end it and to move on and to look for a new challenge.”
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