Inside Mohamed Salah's Liverpool exit - Private apology, Arne Slot truce and £21m decision

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The ECHO's Liverpool FC correspondent Paul Gorst takes a closer look at why Mohamed Salah has decided to call time on his Anfield career at the end of the seasonMohamed Salah was just 94 minutes into his ninth and final season at Liverpool when its defining image was taken. This was just six weeks after he and his brother, Andre Silva, died in a car accident in Northern Spain while traveling back to the UK to begin pre-season training at the AXA Centre in Kirkby.And while it might be stretching it to frame everything that followed for Salah during a term of turbulence around the sudden and shock passing of his good friend in the early hours of July 3, Jota's absence cannot be dismissed as a contributing factor for why the third highest goalscorer in Liverpool's history believes his jig is finally up at Anfield.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!

Salah's explosive outburst in a nondescript doorway at Elland Road is now viewed by many as the catalyst for the decision to leave.Following back-to-back draws with Sunderland, where played the second half, and Leeds - which were enough to confirm that Arne Slot's side hadn't yet turned the corner - Salah launched a remarkable broadside on December 6 at the head coach and other unnamed figures at the club, accusing them of "being thrown under the bus".As the defeats rained down on Slot and his team, Salah's lack of defensive output was seen as something that needed to change and as the Reds boss sought more solidity, the No.11 was deemed expendable until the ship was steadied.When Salah signed his two-year extension following a season where he scored 29 goals and 18 Premier League assists, the former Roma winger thought his career would end at Anfield. Salah maintained he was within his rights to call out being dropped given his sterling service to the club.An uneasy truce was struck behind the scenes with Slot after being left at home for the 1-0 win at Inter in the Champions League and while he started his final game before the Africa Cup of Nations on the bench against Brighton, a first-half injury to Joe Gomez allowed Salah to quickly return to the team as the Reds won 2-0.At the time, few knew if that would be Salah's final Anfield appearance, as a month-long absence AFCON raised plenty of questions with the transfer window open.

The market wasn't there for Salah, which is why his departure will now come as an agreed end-of-season exit as a free agent, despite having a year left on his terms.Recent weeks have shown glimpses of the 'old' Salah, but those fleeting contributions - like his trademark efforts against Galatasaray and Qarabag in the Champions League, or the wing wizardry that won the penalty he converted against Brighton in the FA Cup - have stood out because they have become infrequent.At a reputed £400,000 a week, Liverpool haven't been getting value for money and when Salah penned that two-term extension 11 months ago, there was always a concern that the decline of a 33-year-old might come sooner rather than later.However, a season-from-the Gods, where he dragged the Reds to a second title in five years, was enough to convince key figures that the inevitable drop-off could be staved off by the player's professionalism and dedication. That can be reinvested into the playing staff when they inevitably come to replace him.There's also a sense of honour in allowing Salah to depart on his terms, given the relationship that exists and while the official video put on to social media last Tuesday evening was an in-house production with the Egyptian's camp, it's understood the club collaborated with their No.11 to an extent, putting forward the services of Steven Halliwell, who shot the video and took the images of Salah beside his bulging trophy cabinet in his Cheshire home.Salah's departure from Liverpool is more cordial than it perhaps appears on the surface, and a healthy level of respect will always exist between club and player.