Heusler has now revealed the Egyptian could have been plying his trade at Anfield far sooner had Chelsea not stepped in though.
"We were far with Liverpool, negotiating with Ian Ayre, but Chelsea jumped in," he told The Telegraph.
"I guess at the time it seemed Chelsea won the race, but not the whole race, only the first stage. The race was finally won by Liverpool but it was a tough call then.
"We agreed the deal because we never want our players to move on from us in a war. We did not have a divorce. He left us through the big door and I am pleased about that."
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Egypt international Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool from Roma last summer
Liverpool's Mo Salah surprises fans at school
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Mohamed Salah has scored 36 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this season
Heusler admits he’s not sure why Salah failed to deliver the goods during his stint at Stamford Bridge.
"I don’t know the reason he could not show his talent at Chelsea," he added.
"Certainly there are factors and it is not for me to judge, but he improved again in Italy so maybe that was the right step too."
Salah, meanwhile, will be hoping Liverpool can put one foot in the Champions League semi-finals by beating Manchester City on Wednesday night.