End of an era: Liverpool begin again without Salah, Mané and Firmino
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino
For the first time in a decade, Anfield turns the page — and a legendary chapter closes.
By Pascal Okoth
Liverpool yesterday began a new season without a single member of the famous attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino — the first time the club has faced that reality since the 2015/16 campaign.
It marks the definitive end of an era that reshaped the club and returned Liverpool to the summit of European football.
Salah, Mané and Firmino became synonymous with everything Liverpool stood for in their prime. Their pace, creativity and almost telepathic understanding produced moments that supporters will carry with them long after the final whistle of this or any other season. Together, they were not merely a forward line — they were an identity.
Under former manager Jürgen Klopp, the trio became the engine of a system built on relentless pressing, rapid transitions and devastating finishing. Their greatest collective triumph came with the UEFA Champions League in 2019, followed by Liverpool’s long-awaited Premier League title in 2019/20 — ending a 30-year wait for the club. They also contributed to victories in the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Firmino departed first, his clever movement and trademark smile leaving a gap that no one could quite fill in the same way. Mané followed, his explosive pace and directness moving on to new challenges. Salah stayed the longest — and left the biggest mark. By the time his nine-year chapter ended, he had scored 255 goals in 435 appearances, placing him third on the club’s all-time scoring list. He has since joined Trabzonspor in Turkey as a free agent.
Liverpool enter the 2026/27 season under new manager Andoni Iraola, who arrives from Bournemouth with a strong reputation and the considerable task of rebuilding without their most important attacker of the modern era. The club’s recruitment and tactical evolution will be scrutinised closely as a new generation of forwards attempts to create its own story at Anfield.
For supporters who lived through the Salah–Mané–Firmino years, the difference will be felt immediately. Those were not ordinary footballers passing through — they were the architects of one of the most celebrated periods in the club’s history.
That period is now history.
An era has ended at Anfield. A new one begins.
Similar Posts by The Mt Kenya Times:
- Treasury scandal deepens: Nine arrested over KSh1.57B PROFIT programme fraud
- International Unitarian Funding Program Gave A Grant To Mulher Forte GBV Project In Botswana
- The goon’s paycheque: When political intolerance turns Kenya’s streets into killing fields
- KEMSA chief tells Ruto medicine order fill rate has more than doubled in four years
- IEBC commissioner urges shared responsibility for credible 2027 poll
About the Author
