Mohamed Salah’s relationship with Liverpool is broken. That was made abundantly clear after the Egyptian’s incendiary interview at Elland Road on Saturday night, which also poses a test of the club’s relationship with head coach Arne Slot.
Salah, who had been on the bench for the third successive game, stopped to speak to waiting reporters and dropped a series of grenades over more than seven minutes. He twice accused Liverpool of throwing him under a bus in response to their dismal Premier League title defence, and revealed there is no longer a relationship between himself and Slot. The 33-year-old also claimed someone at the club wants him out.
Members of the hierarchy – sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards – were effectively dragged under the bus by Salah’s comments. Teammates were also criticised, with Salah insisting he has earned the position Slot has taken from him. Virgil van Dijk had earlier said: “It’s not like you have unlimited credit, everyone has to perform,” when asked about Salah’s demotion.
The club wanted to let the dust settle on Sunday and consider their response with cool heads. However, the response must be emphatic or Slot’s position will be seriously undermined. Banishing Salah from this week’s Champions League trip to Milan and the home game against Brighton has been floated as a starting point.
Given Salah’s age and marked decline in form this season, it appears inconceivable that both he and Slot will still be at Liverpool when his contract expires in 2027. The club’s next move will reveal who they are backing.
