Richard Hughes makes up his mind over Mo Salah exit

Liverpool are in a perilous position with one of their brightest stars.

Of course, the entire squad under Slot is not performing as they should be so far this season. We've seen a few standout moments, but generally, the Reds have been far below the levels we expect.

In part, this is a system issue which the head coach is charged with correcting, but the players must also take accountability. After all, if gilt-edged chances are being missed, there's nothing Slot can do.

As such, while the new signings are getting a free pass from most of the criticism - since they're still getting used to their teammates, as well as the physicality of the Premier League - the more reliable players are being put under the spotlight. They've shown they can do it, so what's the problem now?

One of those heavily scrutinised players is Mohamed Salah, last year's golden boot and playmaker award winner; after delivering 57 goal contributions in 52 games, he's now only managed six to start the season off. At times, he's electric. At others, it's a struggle to watch him.

Hughes makes Salah decision

We've mentioned already that Liverpool's issues are coming from the entire squad, but to see Salah so uninvolved in matches is really quite a sight to behold. It's polar-opposite to what happened last season, when he'd regularly take games by the scruff of the neck, powering us to victory.

In a tactical sense, he's struggling because the relationship he's having to form with Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong at right-back is different to the trust he and Trent Alexander-Arnold had. He doesn't always have someone making na overlapping run, and so he's pushed further out wide.

And it's almost nonsensical to expect Salah to deliver a similar campaign to his last. His 47 Premier League goals and assists broke the record for goal contributions. Statistically, it's the best season a forward has ever had. The chances of him getting anywhere close again were pretty low.

But behind all that, there's one factor that Liverpool will be most concerned with, and that's his age; now that he's turned 33 years old, it shouldn't be surprising that his numbers are down a little. You'd expect someone nearing the end of their career to begin to decline, although the drastic drop-off in his performance levels has come as a surprise. We're left with quite the conundrum to figure out.

According to a report from Football Insider, the Reds' sporting director Richard Hughes has made his mind up on where Salah's future lies beyond this season. A patient approach is going to be taken.

Their sources claim that a summer move is not on the cards, with the January transfer window being completely overlooked. Following the signing of his new contract earlier this year, the intention is that he will see it out, before leaving in 2027 - unless a drastic up-turn in form sparks, although given the sheer amount of credit he has in the bank, Salah could essentially decide when he leaves.

One thing to note from this intel, is that if he left in 2027, it would be as a free agent, rather than the Reds taking a transfer fee for him in 2026. Given his age, and contract situation, you wouldn't really expect a significant amount of money to be exchanged for him, although the PIF-backed Saudi Arabian clubs have been hot on his heels for years now - so it's a bold call to have made.

In spite of the performances, Salah is constantly a threat in matches, so we might still see some impressive numbers from him once Slot has addressed the current issues. But we may need to start adjusting how we view him moving forward. After eight years of world-class efforts, he might not have it in him to meet his usually high standards. It was only natural that he'd eventually drop-off.

Given the season is still only a few months old, nothing is certain. Decisions of this magnitude require the upmost consideration. But it's definitely concerning, seeing how much he's struggling right now.

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