Arne Slot Puts Firm End to Mohamed Salah Talk After AFCON Departure
Liverpool manager Arne Slot insisted the club have “moved on” from the drama surrounding forward Mohamed Salah and his future at Anfield.
Salah’s fiery accusations against both Slot and Liverpool in the aftermath of a third consecutive game out of the starting lineup led to an unsurprising wave of speculation about a possible departure from the club during the January transfer window.
A punishment of one further game out of the matchday squad was swiftly handed out before restorative talks between Salah and Slot saw the Egyptian return to the squad and appear off the bench in a 2–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
Salah has since departed for the Africa Cup of Nations, with his representatives expected to hold further talks with Liverpool during his absence to reach a final verdict on his future. As far as Slot is concerned, however, the issue has already been forgotten.
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“I said last week, actions speak louder than words,” Slot explained ahead of his side’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. “We moved on, he was in the squad [against Brighton] and he was the first substitution I made.
“Now he is at the AFCON, playing big games for himself and also for the country, so I think it is fair to them, but definitely also to us because we’re going to play some very important games, that all the focus for him is over there for him and there should be no distractions from me saying anything about his time here at Liverpool.
“We’ve moved on after the Leeds interview and he played against Brighton. He is there, so it is fair for that country and for him and also for us to talk about Tottenham, and other games, and for them to be fully focused on their tournament."
Slot: ‘Ups and Downs’ After Summer Squad Overhaul
Despite Slot’s desire to move on, the issue of Salah’s future remains a burning question around Anfield.
It was reported earlier this week that Salah’s frustrations are not limited to his stint on the bench. Indeed, it was claimed that the veteran forward is unhappy with Liverpool’s transfer business during the summer, which has forced a change in tactic to try and accommodate struggling stars like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak at his expense.
Liverpool’s attacking line has lacked fluency but those concerns have also bled into the defence. Slot’s side have shipped 24 goals in 16 Premier League games this season, more than 10 other sides in the division.
“That is a question only the future can answer,” Slot said when asked if his changes to the team have been exploited by rival clubs. “We conceded more chances against Brighton than the four [unbeaten] games combined, so that also tells you how well we did in the four games before that.
“Not many teams have kept Inter Milan, in their own stadium, away from any danger at all—maybe one chance, one header from [Lautaro] Martínez. [Brighton] arrived a lot of times in our 18-yard box and created very good moments, but we have to understand we created a lot against them as well.
“It was the balance where the games before, we didn’t create that much. Now, we’ve created more but conceded more as well, in the second halves mainly.
“We are getting closer and closer to the team I want us to be, and it has come with ups and downs, let’s be completely clear about that. For me, that makes sense because [of] all the changes we made during the summer—we made them on purpose, because we felt we needed to.
“If I am completely honest, maybe I didn’t expect it to take as long as it did but, looking back and reflecting on it now, I think I’ve been too positive. If you go with a new group where not all of them are completely ready to play every single game, 90 minutes in this intensity, you have to adapt and it takes maybe a bit of time.”
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