Liverpool will kick off their 2026-27 Premier League campaign at Newcastle on Sunday, marking a significant shift as the club embarks on a season without Mohamed Salah for the first time since 2015. Salah, who has since joined Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig, holds the Premier League record for most goals scored on the opening matchday of a season with 10.
Between 2015 and 2026, the attacking trio of Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino were central to Liverpool's success, contributing a combined 488 goals. Salah alone scored 257 of those. With Salah's departure, the club's current top scorer is Cody Gakpo, with 50 goals.
New Signings Expected to Step Up
Liverpool acquired Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz last summer, alongside Hugo Ekitike, with an eye on the future. The club spent a combined £320 million on these players, anticipating a transition period. However, replicating Salah's individual goal-scoring and creative output is seen as an impossible task; his responsibilities will need to be shared across the squad.
Ekitike, 24, had a promising start to his Anfield career before suffering an Achilles tendon rupture in April. He is expected to be fit for the latter half of the current season. Isak, 26, and Wirtz, 23, are now expected to be the focal points of this new Liverpool era, especially after what were described as disappointing debut campaigns.
Despite the confirmation in March that Salah would be leaving, Liverpool has not yet made a high-profile signing to replace him as the new season approaches. Captain Virgil van Dijk emphasized the need for a squad capable of competing on all fronts. "Let's see what the last couple weeks of the transfer window brings and then let's go for it," he stated this week.