Liverpool manager Arne Slot is set for decisive talks with Mohamed Salah after the forward’s explosive comments sparked fresh uncertainty about his future at Anfield.
Salah sent shockwaves through the Premier League champions last week when he claimed the club had thrown him under the bus following their 3-3 draw with Leeds United, a match in which the Egyptian started on the bench for the third game running.
Slot subsequently omitted the 32-year-old from the squad for Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win over Inter, raising even more questions about his relationship with the Dutch manager.
Slot, however, insists he still wants Salah to stay and is seeking clarity before the weekend clash with Brighton. The Dutchman has left the door open for the winger to return to the fold, but says the situation now requires a direct, honest conversation.
“I will have a conversation with Mo,” Slot said at Friday’s pre-match press conference. The outcome of that conversation determines how things will look [on Saturday].
“I have no reasons to not want Salah to stay. What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo, it should be with him and not in here.
“There’s not much more I can say. I will speak to him today and the outcome determines how things will look tomorrow.
“You can try it in multiple ways. The next time I speak should be with him. We’ve spoken a lot in the last week, since the Sunderland game.
“There have been a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me.”
Whatever the outcome of his conversation with Slot is, Salah will be looking forward to getting away from Merseyside and joining up with the Egyptian national team next week ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
But most who have an affiliation with Liverpool will be hoping all aggrieved parties can reach a truce and return the focus back to getting the reigning champions’ Premier League campaign back on track.
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