Mohamed Salah will surely want to end his time at Liverpool on a high note. That said, the newcomers Liverpool invested heavily in over the summer arguably have more riding on this final stretch when it comes to securing Champions League football.

Not long after Salah announced he’d be leaving, the wave of tributes started to dwindle. This is understandable since praising such a remarkable player only goes so far. To keep the conversation going, Salah shared a candid photo on social media, gazing fondly at his trophy cabinet at home. It’s classic Salah, unapologetically proud.

Make no mistake: he won’t be sneaking out of Anfield quietly. And that means everyone involved will feel caught up in what feels like his personal farewell tour.

Meanwhile, Arne Slot is probably rehearsing what to say. The timing of Salah’s departure announcement means he’s arrived late to this particular party, very late, in fact.

Jürgen Klopp, on the other hand, has already paid his respects in his own unique fashion, fondly recalling those glory days with Salah, Mane, and Firmino. “The Mo movie is a beautiful movie,” Klopp said. “It’s a beautiful movie with a happy ending. It will be a great day in mid-May when everyone is allowed to say goodbye. It will be pretty special.”

Sure, it should be pretty special. But none of that would feel particularly special if Liverpool’s final league match against Brentford becomes a showdown for a UEFA Conference League spot instead.

That’s an even tougher spot for Slot.

In a way, Klopp’s heartfelt tribute, coupled with the Salah news, might have come at just the right time for Slot. It distracted from an in-depth analysis of Liverpool’s defeat at Brighton.

Still, as Slot prepares to field questions about Salah’s prolonged farewell ahead of the FA Cup clash with Manchester City, one can’t blame him if he’s wondering whether there might be more than one farewell tour playing out over these remaining eight weeks.

Slot’s first season, crowned by winning the Premier League, should've earned him some goodwill, possibly excusing a disappointing follow-up season. But reality tends to be less forgiving.

What happens in the coming fixtures will shape Slot’s future. Without Champions League football secured for next season, it’s difficult to imagine him keeping his job.

To claim that Champions League spot, Slot needs Liverpool’s big-money signings to step up, not just Salah.

Let’s be honest: Salah’s personal ambitions are probably not tethered to Liverpool’s European fate anymore.

The real motivation lies with those new players who joined the Premier League champions at a premium price.

Take Florian Wirtz, for example; he put on an excellent two-goal display for Germany in their thrilling 4-3 win over Switzerland. Hugo Ekitike made an impact for France too, with appearances capped by a goal against Brazil, which should’ve given him momentum heading into Liverpool’s end-of-season push.

Alexander Isak, once the international break is over, will likely return to action as well.

While Salah might find extra drive in his farewell to give his best, Slot’s true hope rests on last summer’s headline signings living up to expectations in these final weeks.

If they don’t, Liverpool might face more than one farewell tour this season.

Arne Slot has confirmed that Alexander Isak will be back in time for Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain. However, he urged patience about when fans might see the £125 million forward in top form again, as Isak has been out since late 2025 due to a broken leg.

Isak suffered the injury during Liverpool’s win over Tottenham in December, caught by defender Micky van de Ven shortly after scoring in the second half. Now, the Swedish striker is gradually easing back with light training but won’t be joining the national squad during the break, still working through the final stages of rehab before returning to competitive play.

Slot mentioned the team might consider a closed-door friendly to help Isak regain match fitness, but clarified that he hasn’t rejoined regular team training yet. While Slot welcomes the striker’s return eagerly, he also recognises the likelihood that supporters might have to wait until next season to see Isak performing at his best.

“Alex will be available for PSG, yes,” Slot said on Friday. “But when we talk about being ready, if you’re expecting the player who starred against us a year ago in the Carabao Cup final, who was exceptional on that day, I have doubts after such a long layoff. I do expect to get minutes from him, but it’s hard to say what exactly because he hasn’t trained with the team even once yet.

“He’s not able to train with the team yet. Usually, rehab comes before team training starts, and only after that do you play games. It’s not like you go from one training to playing 45 or 90 minutes straight away.

“If we organise a friendly during the international break, it would probably have to be a very light setup, maybe something like three versus three. We have the under-21s, but Alex isn’t ready to play yet. If he were, he would be with Sweden. The fans will certainly see the best version of him next season. We’re aiming to get close to that this season, but it’s a process.

“I’m as excited as the fans to have him back because, honestly, in about 90 per cent of our matches, we’ve created more chances than the opposition. Having one of the world’s best strikers out there usually means picking up more points. So the excitement about his return, given how good he was at Newcastle, is understandable.

“I don’t want to diminish his impact; he can make a difference this season. But if you ask whether next season is more realistic for him to reach his best than right now, I’d say yes. Also, he probably won’t be available against Man City, but for the next couple of months, we’ll definitely try to use him.”

Slot also touched on the possibility of Isak playing in an under-21 game. “That’s something I can’t answer yet. We think about those options with players returning from injury. If he must get match practice, we would arrange a friendly. But it’s not as simple as 'one game back, and then he’s back to his peak'; it takes time.

“There’s also pre-season coming up, which might be the right moment for him to build up gradually. Players typically have around six to seven weeks to ramp up before the season, and it’s rare to see anyone at their best in the very first pre-season game.”