Salah-Liverpool row rumbles on: how did it all begin? | OneFootball

“I feel like I’m being betrayed,” declared the Egyptian after not playing a single minute in the draw against Leeds. Arne Slot left him out of the squad for the match against Inter, the club owner backed his decision, and the striker’s future remains a mystery.

“It’s unacceptable. I’ve done so much for this club. I shouldn’t have to fight for my place every day because I’ve earned it. I feel like I’m being betrayed,” Mohamed Salah stated, the Liverpool star, after not playing a single minute last Saturday in the 3-3 draw against Leeds United. The Egyptian’s explosive statements exposed the internal conflicts in the English giant’s dressing room.

“I had a good relationship with the coach. Suddenly, we have none, I don’t know why. It seems to me that someone doesn’t want me at the club,” added the 33-year-old striker, who is the third-highest scorer in the club’s history. Arne Slot’s reaction to the controversy was to leave him out of the squad for the Champions League clash against Inter, in which the Reds managed to take all three points from Milan.

When asked when the Egyptian would play again at the pre-match press conference against the Nerazzurri, Slot replied: “I have no idea.” In fact, even the player himself cast doubt on his future, and next Saturday against Brighton could be his last appearance at Anfield, since on December 15 he will leave to play the Africa Cup with his national team. “I’ll say goodbye to the fans and then I don’t know what will happen. In football, you never know, but I don’t accept this situation,” he hinted.

The truth is that it has become commonplace for Salah not to see action on the pitch, and that was precisely the trigger for his anger. Of the last four matches, he only came on in the draw against Sunderland, which seems very little for a player of his caliber. But it’s also true that the Egyptian King, as Liverpool fans call him, is not going through a great sporting moment either: he has scored just five goals so far this season.

According to the American sports outlet The Athletic, for the English club’s directors it was not a complete surprise that Salah spoke out, but they believe his attack on the club and coach went further than expected.

For them, the absence of the former Roma player in the starting eleven is due to a tactical and temporary decision by Slot based on what is best for the team after a discouraging run of results (prior to the win against the Italians, they had only won one of their last six matches). Furthermore, they maintain that no one has tried to force the player out of the club.

Behind closed doors at the club, some believe that the Egyptian’s comments were aimed at destabilizing the Dutch coach, who took over the team in May 2024, to make his position untenable.

However, Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, maintains full confidence in Slot despite this latest controversy and the recent poor results (the club sits 10th in the Premier League and was eliminated at home in the fourth round of the League Cup by Crystal Palace). Therefore, the club’s top management is not considering dismissing him.

Within the dressing room, Salah inspires respect and admiration, but has few close friends. One of them, captain Virgil Van Dijk, stated that “these kinds of things stay in-house, we have to be united for Liverpool.” In addition, speaking to TNT Sports after the win in Milan, he added: “It’s not up to me to say who should apologize. There are issues between Mo and the club and both have to deal with it.”

Alexis Mac Allister also commented on the rift between the striker and the club. “We know what Mo means to the club and we care about him a lot, but there are things that we as a group cannot handle,” he said. “He knows very well what he’s doing, he’s a grown man and made his decision. As a team, we’re on Liverpool’s side,” said the former Boca player in his interview with ESPN.

The most curious thing is that Salah went from having “the behavior expected of a professional player who supports his teammates even if he’s not happy about not playing,” as the coach said just a week ago before the match against Sunderland, to becoming the main source of conflict within England’s most important club.

If we go back to April, the situation at Anfield was completely different. The Reds were crowned champions with a 10-point lead over Arsenal, the Dutchman was the conductor on the bench, and the Egyptian the shining star on the pitch: he was the top scorer (29) and top assister (18) in the competition.

What happened in between? In addition to the unexpected death of Diogo Jota that hit the squad hard, there was a transfer market that completely changed the team’s dynamics. Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), and Darwin Núñez (Al Hilal) left—players with whom Salah felt very comfortable on the field—and the club spent around $600 million on Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, among others.

The radical overhaul of the squad not only affected the English side’s sporting results, as they are now 10 points behind leaders Arsenal and out of the European competition spots, but also the team’s playing style, with which the Pharaoh does not seem comfortable and has yet to adapt.

Although his contract with the club runs until mid-2027, his future from January onwards is uncertain. If Salah truly intends to leave, he will have to find a new destination in the European winter transfer window.

It’s worth remembering that in 2023, the board rejected a £150 million offer from Al Ittihad, a Saudi Pro League club, for him. Since then, interest from Middle Eastern football in the player has increased, as has interest from the MLS, who would also like to secure his services. They say time heals all wounds, so we’ll have to wait and see if it does its job and heals the wounds at Anfield, or if the love story between Mohamed Salah and Liverpool has come to an end.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.