Liverpool flop is the first player FSG must bin this summer

Liverpool beat West Ham United 5-2 at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday and Mohamed Salah came away from the game without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts.

In fact, the right winger played the full 90 minutes without registering a single shot on target or creating any chances for his teammates against the Hammers, despite the comfortable victory for Arne Slot’s side.

Hugo Ekitike was in fine form, scoring one goal and providing two assists, and Cody Gakpo even got himself on the scoresheet for the first time since the Champions League win over Marseille in January.

Salah has now only scored two goals in his last 16 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, a run that stretches back to the 1-0 win over Real Madrid at the start of November.

The experienced forward went off to play for Egypt at the African Cup of Nations during that time, of course, but a return of two goals since the start of November is not a run of form that supporters expect from the 33-year-old superstar.

Why Liverpool must not sell Mo Salah this summer

BBC Sport reports that an exit for the winger in the summer transfer window is ‘increasingly likely’, but a move depends on whether the interested teams from the MLS and Saudi Arabia are willing to pay his wage demands.

On the face of it, selling 33-year-old Salah after a poor run of form in front of goal may seem like the right move to make this summer, but that may not be the case.

His goal output is not as good as it once was, scoring four goals in the Premier League after a return of 29 last term, but he is still a key creative figure for Slot.

The left-footed star has created the most ‘big chances’ (ten) and provided the most assists (six) in the Premier League this season for the Reds, with four assists in his last eight games in all competitions.

Salah remains a key and influential player for the Dutch head coach, despite his struggles as a goalscorer, which is why the club should retain his services, also in the hope that he returns to his best as a scorer, for the 2026/27 campaign.

The first player Liverpool should sell this summer

Whilst Salah’s output as a goalscorer has evidently dropped off, there is a Liverpool player whose performances this season have been even worse than the Egyptian’s, which is why they should be the first player sold this summer.

Joe Gomez was selected to start at right-back against the Hammers in his fifth start of the Premier League season, and he failed to put in an impressive display.

The former England international lost five of his seven ground duels and two of his three aerial duels in 77 minutes on the pitch, which shows that the opposition players found it too easy to get the better of him.

That has been the case throughout the 2025/26 Premier League season. Gomez has lost a whopping 71% of his ground duels across 14 appearances in the league, the worst ground duel loss percentage out of all defenders in the squad.

The 28-year-old defender, who also only played nine league games last term, has also won just 50% of his aerial battles in the division, which is fairly underwhelming for a player whose favoured position is centre-back.

Gomez has been a bit-part player for the majority of his Liverpool career, partially down to missing a whopping 211 games through injury since the 2015/16 season, and it may finally be time for a change of scenery.

The former England international is rarely available for selection and, especially this season, has not performed particularly well when he has been called upon by Slot.

With Geovanni Leoni due to return from his knee injury later this year, the summer transfer window could be the perfect time for the club to finally part ways with Gomez, who was described as “sloppy” in possession by journalist Josh Bunting earlier this season.

He will have 12 months left on his contract, which expires in the summer of 2027, and that means that it would be Liverpool’s last chance to get a full-price offer for the defender, as he would be available for pre-contract deals in January of next year.

Gomez, unlike Salah has with his creativity, has not done enough to make up for the weaknesses in his game and should be the first player to be cashed in on this summer.