Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool career ended this summer, when he and the club agreed to end his contract a year early. He left as the club’s third-highest goalscorer, with 257 goals in 442 games, and signed a two-year deal at Trabzonspor. Liverpool had already lost their star forward three times this century, and the first season after each exit went a different way.
Manchester United visit Anfield on 22 November, and the Liverpool vs Manchester United odds will give an early read on how far Iraola’s side has moved on from Salah.
Michael Owen, 2004-05
Owen joined Real Madrid on 14 August 2004, with Antonio Núñez moving to Anfield as part of the deal. It was also Rafael Benítez’s first season, after he replaced Gérard Houllier that summer.
The league went badly. Liverpool finished fifth on 58 points, 37 behind champions Chelsea, after 14 defeats. They also lost the League Cup final 3-2 to Chelsea after extra time in Cardiff.
Europe rescued the season. Liverpool were 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan in Istanbul, drew 3-3 and won 3-2 on penalties. Fifth place would not normally have earned a Champions League place, but UEFA allowed the holders to defend their trophy.
Fernando Torres, 2011-12
Torres moved to Chelsea for £50m on 31 January 2011, a British record at the time. Liverpool reinvested the same day, signing Andy Carroll from Newcastle United for £35m and Luis Suárez from Ajax. Torres made his Chelsea debut against Liverpool six days later, and Raul Meireles scored the only goal in a 1-0 Liverpool win.
Kenny Dalglish’s side finished sixth that season. The first full season without Torres brought the League Cup, won on penalties against Cardiff City at Wembley after a 2-2 draw. It was the club’s first trophy since 2006. Liverpool also reached the FA Cup final, losing 2-1 to Chelsea. In the league they finished eighth on 52 points, and Dalglish was dismissed on 16 May 2012.
Luis Suárez, 2014-15
Suárez scored 31 Premier League goals in 2013-14 as Liverpool scored 101 league goals and finished second, two points behind Manchester City. Barcelona signed him for a reported £75m in July 2014, and Liverpool spent £117m on ten new arrivals, including Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Mario Balotelli.
Without Suárez, and with Daniel Sturridge injured for much of the season, the goals dried up. Liverpool scored 52 league goals and finished sixth on 62 points. Balotelli scored once in the league.
They went out of the Champions League in the group stage, third behind Real Madrid and Basel, and lost to Beşiktaş on penalties in the Europa League. Both domestic cups ended in semi-final defeats, to Chelsea and Aston Villa. Steven Gerrard’s final game for the club was a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City.
Mohamed Salah, 2026-27
Salah is not the only change. Arne Slot left on 30 May, and Andoni Iraola was appointed on a two-year contract on 4 June. The biggest signing was Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain on 31 August.
After nine league games, Liverpool were fifth on 15 points, with four wins, three draws and two defeats. Both defeats came at Anfield against title rivals: 3-0 to Manchester City on 11 October and 1-0 to Arsenal on 1 November. Europe has gone better, with three wins from three in the Champions League league phase.
What the record shows
In the first full season after Owen, Torres and Suárez left, Liverpool finished fifth, eighth and sixth. Two of those three seasons still ended with a trophy. Liverpool’s games this season sit with the rest of the football betting markets, and after nine games Iraola’s side are exactly where Benítez’s finished in 2004-05: fifth.
