Mohamed Salah has been benched for three consecutive matches under Liverpool boss Arne Slot and spoke out on his relationship with the head coach after the Leeds match
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah finds himself at a crossroads at the club, with his recent comments about his team selection sparking serious questions about his Anfield future.
The Egyptian was dropped for the third consecutive match at the weekend, remaining an unused substitute as the Reds surrendered a lead twice to draw 3-3 with Leeds United. The disappointing result intensified the scrutiny on Arne Slot following a challenging campaign, but Salah’s post-match remarks escalated tensions even further.
In his post-match interview in the mixed zone, the Liverpool No.11 expressed his anger at being sidelined and even dropped hints that the Brighton fixture might mark his final outing in a Reds shirt.
Amongst Salah’s revelations was a startling admission about his deteriorating bond with the manager, following an unexpected turn of events in recent weeks.
“There’s no relationship between us,” Salah said about Slot. “It was a very good relationship, and now all of a sudden there is no relationship.”
This has raised serious doubts about whether Salah can mend his relationship with Slot, or whether a departure might be the only solution to resolve the situation.
Whilst speculation continues to mount regarding a potential transfer, it’s interesting to consider what his agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, previously thought of the Liverpool manager.
Posting on social media back in February of this year, responding to a post of the Premier League standings at that time, the agent declared: “Excellent at his job.”
With Slot clinching the title and Salah signing a new contract shortly after that tweet from his agent, it’s evident that all parties were satisfied for a time.
The 33-year-old has been training since the interview as Liverpool prepare to take on Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night; but the Reds have taken the decision not to include Salah in their 19-man squad for the league phase fixture at the San Siro.
Slot faced the media on Monday and confirmed Salah is not part of the squad to face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Salah’s last match for Liverpool could then be at the weekend against Brighton, where he says his family are invited, as he is unsure about what will transpire after that.
He will then head to AFCON with Egypt, where his future becomes even more uncertain with the opening of the January transfer window.
Clubs from the Saudi Pro League are reported to still have an interest in signing Salah, but it remains to be seen if that interest will emerge once again in January.