Former Egyptian player claims Salah leaving Liverpool because of Slot | OneFootball

Mohamed Salah exit talk raises fresh questions over Slot era at Liverpool

Speculation around Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool has intensified following fresh claims that managerial influence could be driving the Egyptian towards the exit door. According to reporting from Live4Liverpool, Salah is now edging closer to leaving Anfield, with the shadow of Arne Slot’s tenure looming large over the situation.

At 31, Salah remains one of the most decisive forwards in European football, still delivering elite output in both goals and assists. Yet even for a player of his calibre, environment matters. Liverpool’s recent downturn in form, punctuated by a heavy FA Cup defeat to Manchester City, has sharpened scrutiny on the direction of the club under Slot.

This is not merely about a contract or finances — though walking away from a deal worth close to £485,000 per week is no small decision. Instead, the narrative emerging is one of alignment: between player, manager and project.

Photo: IMAGO

Aboutrika comments place spotlight on Slot

Former Egypt international Mohamed Aboutrika has been particularly candid in his assessment, suggesting that Slot’s influence is a decisive factor in Salah’s thinking. Speaking after Liverpool’s defeat, he delivered a pointed reflection on both the player’s legacy and current mindset:

“We have seen nine fruitful years for Liverpool with Salah, all titles and individual and collective awards. Every season he gave the fans different things.

With Klopp, we saw the trio of Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah. They were playing top-class football. Salah had nine unforgettable years, and it is the numbers and achievements that immortalise a player’s career. We enjoyed his career, and all subsequent generations will learn from him.

Salah knows best about his decision and why he made it. I am not aware of all the circumstances, but one of the reasons is Slot. We saw the crises during the recent period… Slot pushed Mohamed Salah to leave.

Salah wants to work in a good mood during the coming years and enjoy himself, and he will receive the expected crowning achievement from his fans and the fans of the competitors… We lived with him for 9 years of pride and honor, and I hope that he will present a wonderful World Cup tournament with the Egyptian national team.”

Those remarks cut through the usual diplomatic noise. They frame Salah’s potential departure not as a natural career progression, but as a reaction to shifting dynamics within the club.

Liverpool performance dip adds pressure

Results have not helped calm the waters. A 4-0 defeat at the Etihad laid bare structural issues, with Liverpool outplayed and outmanoeuvred. Salah himself endured a difficult afternoon, missing a penalty in a match that had already slipped away.

For a side that once thrived on cohesion, intensity and attacking fluency, the contrast is stark. Under Jurgen Klopp, Salah operated within a system that amplified his strengths — quick transitions, intelligent movement and devastating link-up play.

Under Slot, Liverpool are still searching for rhythm. Tactical tweaks and personnel changes have yet to yield consistent results, and that uncertainty inevitably affects senior players weighing their futures.

Slot faces challenge replacing Salah influence

Slot has acknowledged the scale of the challenge, openly admitting that replacing Salah is not a straightforward task. His comments suggest a pragmatic approach, focusing on internal solutions rather than chasing an identical profile:

“There is not a lot talked about this, but it is 88 minutes that Isak, Ekitike and Wirtz were together on the pitch together.

So let’s first find out and work out how that works together and that can give us so much more. It is never one player who can replace Mo.

Otherwise there would be 15 or 20 Mos and he is one of a kind, which is why he is so special. You cannot find a Mo replacement. Maybe you can but he would not be available.”

That acknowledgement is both honest and revealing. Salah is not merely a goalscorer; he is a system-defining player. His departure would demand not just recruitment, but reinvention.

For Liverpool, the stakes are significant. Allowing a modern great to leave without a clear succession plan risks more than a dip in output — it threatens identity. For Salah, meanwhile, the decision appears rooted in one fundamental question: does this Liverpool project still match his ambition?

As things stand, the answer may be drifting towards no.