Africa-Press – Lesotho. Liverpool’s turbulent season has taken a dramatic new twist after Mohamed Salah openly criticised manager Arne Slot, declaring that their relationship has effectively broken down following his recent spell on the bench.
Salah, Liverpool’s talisman for nearly a decade, has been left out of the starting XI for the club’s last three Premier League matches—a decision Slot attributed to the forward’s dip in form. But for Salah, the situation goes far deeper, and he is no longer hiding his frustration.
“I have been at this club, scoring more than anyone in this generation since I came to the Premier League,” Salah said, reminding the football world of the legacy he has built at Anfield.
Yet, despite his stature, the Egyptian icon feels abandoned.
“It’s not acceptable for me. I don’t know why this is happening for me. I don’t get it. I think if I’m someone else at the club, the club would protect this player… I don’t know why I’m in this situation now. I have done so much for this club. I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I’m not bigger than anyone…”
Salah openly questioned his treatment under Slot and hinted their working relationship has reached a point of no return.
Salah has mentioned that “the relationship is over,” and his public remarks only intensified the storm:
“If I am somewhere else, everybody would go to the media and defend the player. I am the only one in this situation…”
The 32-year-old also appeared to hint at uncertainty over his future beyond the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“We will see what happens. In my head I will enjoy the game, it does not matter if I play or not, I will enjoy it. We will see what will happen. It’s at Anfield, say goodbye to the fans, go to AFCON, because I don’t know what will happen when I’m there…”
With AFCON just weeks away, Egypt might be the unexpected beneficiaries of Liverpool’s internal conflict. A motivated, emotionally charged Salah—eager to prove a point—could arrive at the tournament with renewed hunger.
But at Anfield, the mood is anything but calm. Slot now faces the biggest challenge of his young Liverpool tenure: managing a fractured relationship with the club’s greatest forward of the modern era, and navigating the possibility that the Salah era may be inching toward its conclusion.
