Salah branded ‘toxic’ by Saudi chief as Liverpool star is told he’s ‘not a fit for our league’ | OneFootball

Saudi Pro League club owner Ben Harburg insists “toxic” Mohamed Salah is “not a fit for our league” amid his behaviour at Liverpool.

The Reds were shook on Saturday when Salah told reporters that Liverpool had “thrown him under the bus” after he was on the bench for a third match in a row.

Speaking after Liverpool were held to a 3-3 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road, Salah also insisted that his relationship with Arne Slot was broken.

That led to criticism from Jamie Carragher and others over his attitude with some thinking it was a selfish action as Liverpool attempt to turn around their form.

The Reds hierarchy and Slot made a joint decision to leave Salah out of the Liverpool squad which travelled to Italy on Tuesday in a 1-0 win over Inter Milan.

That has led to rumours that Salah could be sold by Liverpool to the Saudi Pro League or elsewhere over the January transfer window with a deal for Antoine Semenyo reportedly being lined up.

But, after seeing Salah’s behaviour and recent performances, Harburg – who owns Saudi Pro League side Al Kholood – doesn’t think the Liverpool forward is the type of player the league should be attempting to sign.

When asked about a move for Salah, Harburg said: “I do think there’s already, even amongst the public, much more apprehension around his coming into the league.

“He’s 33 years old, he got paid a boatload a year or so ago, whatever it was, and has underperformed massively since then.

“He doesn’t strike me as a great team player. As an owner, when I look at the way he behaved there … if a player isn’t performing, they’re not going to be in the starting line up. We don’t put people in the starting line up based on what they did three seasons ago or even last season.

“All that, to me, combines for a fairly toxic combination of factors. So I would rather he not come here. I’m sure some people like his star power, he’s from the region, but my sentiment is that he is not a fit for our league.

“I would rather, if it were between him and Vinicius, I’d take Vinicius.

“I’m hoping we go after those 25-year-old next wave players rather than guys like Salah who definitely this would be the last stop on his career.”

An account of X made up of ‘five elite reporters’ reckons Saudi Pro League clubs are ‘circling’ with Liverpool hoping to keep Salah unless he refuses to apologise.

The account wrote: ‘Richard Hughes, Michael Edwards, and Arne Slot are set to meet with Mo Salah to address his recent comments that have left @LFC in a state of confusion.

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‘Salah’s outburst has raised questions about his intentions, especially considering he was only dropped from the starting lineup for three games, one of which he came on at half-time.

‘Liverpool do not want a culture where big name players have a major say in a manager’s future, unlike what is seen at other clubs.

‘Liverpool want to keep the player but need some acknowledgement from Salah that he made a mistake.

‘Meanwhile, Saudi clubs are already circling, eager to negotiate a transfer. Liverpool need clarity on the next steps so they can plan and execute deals to replace him if necessary.’