Arne Slot’s Last Words on Salah Resurface After Liverpool Exit
Salah Departure Resurfaces Questions About Slot’s Liverpool Tenure
Mohamed Salah’s announcement on Tuesday that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the 2025-26 season has brought renewed scrutiny to the relationship between the Egyptian forward and manager Arne Slot, with past comments from the Dutch coach resurfacing amid a backdrop of reported tensions.
Salah revealed his decision in a video posted to social media, bringing an end to his nine-year spell with the club, during which he became the Reds’ third-highest goalscorer of all time, behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt. He has secured two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy during his time at Anfield.
Slot had previously praised Salah’s mental fortitude following a Champions League match against Galatasaray in December, a game where Salah responded to missing a penalty by scoring a goal. “It says a lot about him that after you miss a penalty just before half-time… he came out in the second half the way he did,” Slot said at the time. “That tells you a lot about his mental strength but definitely also of the team.”
However, that public display of support followed a period of reported discord. In the same month, Salah publicly voiced concerns about his relationship with Slot and accused the club of attempting to force him out. He subsequently missed Liverpool’s Champions League match against Inter Milan, though he later returned to the team and played in a Premier League game against Brighton.
Following his return from the Africa Cup of Nations, Slot described his relationship with Salah as “normal,” stating that the only exception had been the decision to leave him out of the Inter Milan squad. He emphasized Salah’s importance to the team, noting that he and Cody Gakpo were the only wingers to have played more than 100 minutes in the Premier League this season.
The timing of Salah’s departure announcement comes after a difficult season for Liverpool, currently battling to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League. Former Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez recently suggested that Slot’s impact has waned, stating, “it’s just not working” for the manager, despite defending him against criticism. Gonzalez noted the team’s struggles, having already suffered 10 league defeats and 14 across all competitions.
The situation is further complicated by reports that Salah felt he was being made a scapegoat for the team’s underperformance. While Slot acknowledged Salah’s comments, he refrained from directly addressing the accusations, stating he could not know who Salah was referring to when suggesting someone was trying to push him out of the club.
Liverpool face crucial matches in the FA Cup and Champions League, with quarter-final ties against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. The club has yet to comment on potential replacements for Salah, and the future direction of the team remains uncertain as the season progresses.