Jurgen Klopp did not need Mo Salah at Liverpool and pair’s relationship was ‘frosty’

Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah had a frosty relationship that started with the former Liverpool manager not initially wanting him.

The duo achieved every possible accolade during their seven-year stint at Anfield. Salah, 32, has always been a prolific goal-scorer, but his reputation soared while netting for Liverpool.

He signed for the Reds in summer 2017 from AS Roma for a steal at £39 million, three years after his disastrous £11m transfer to Chelsea from FC Basel.

However, it’s reported that Klopp’s first choice was German international Julian Brandt from Bayer Leverkusen. Dave Fallows, Liverpool’s head of recruitment at the time, insisted on signing Salah, despite Klopp’s objections and preference for Brandt, who now plays for Borussia Dortmund.

Despite their successful collaboration, Salah and Klopp’s working relationship was strictly professional. The Daily Mail describes their rapport as “Professional, mutually respectful and almost always cordial”.

While Klopp is renowned for his charismatic charm and player management skills, it’s believed Salah didn’t desire such treatment, instead relying solely on the advice of his lawyer Remy Abbas, reports the Mirror.

When Salah inked his new deal with Anfield in 2022, Abbas reportedly reached out to a well-known journalist who suggested that Klopp had played a significant role in persuading him to sign. Abbas refuted this claim, stating that it was not the case at all.

It’s also been reported that Salah felt his former Roma boss Luciano Spalletti had a greater impact on his career than the German coach. However, it’s important to note that Salah held no ill-will or animosity towards Klopp.

He simply wasn’t as enamoured with the ex-Dortmund manager as many of his previous players were. During their 349 games together, Salah racked up an impressive 211 goals and 89 assists across all competitions.

Despite their combined brilliance, there were moments when tension between them escalated.

Salah also had a strained relationship with ex-Liverpool forward Sadio Mane. The article suggests that some of the tension stemmed from the fact that Klopp was a strong advocate for Mane’s signing, while Salah was the preferred choice of Liverpool’s recruitment chiefs.

There were several instances where the players clashed, with Salah being accused of selfishness and often refusing to pass the ball to Mane or Roberto Firmino when they were in a better position.

Their most publicised disagreement occurred during the 2019-20 season, when Salah chose to shoot rather than pass the ball to Mane for an open goal during a match against Burnley, resulting in a missed opportunity.

After being substituted, a visibly upset Mane was spotted shouting at Klopp and gesturing towards Salah. Klopp did not publicly address the incident but summoned both players to his office to insist that any disputes be immediately resolved.

A few years later, Klopp and Salah had a public disagreement on the sidelines at the London Stadium during last season’s 2-2 draw with West Ham United. As Klopp prepared to bring Salah into the game as part of a triple substitution, the two exchanged heated words.

While it was unclear what was said, it signalled that the relationship between Salah and Klopp was increasingly tense.