Slot to Hold Crunch Talks with Salah as Liverpool Star Hints Brighton Could Be His Farewell
Arne Slot says he will meet Mohamed Salah face-to-face to decide whether the Liverpool forward will feature against Brighton or whether last weekend’s hint of a farewell becomes reality.
Salah, 33, stunned supporters after Saturday’s draw at Leeds by admitting he invited his mother to Anfield next week because the Brighton game “might be my last.” With the Africa Cup of Nations taking him away until January and the transfer window opening at the same time speculation around his future has intensified dramatically.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s home fixture, Slot said the club will make no decision until he speaks directly with the Egyptian.
“I’ll have a conversation with him this morning and the outcome will determine how things look tomorrow,” Slot said. “The next time I talk about Mo should be with him and not here.”
Salah was dropped for Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Inter Milan following a fiery interview in which he accused someone at the club of “throwing him under the bus” and blamed unnamed figures for damaging his reputation. Liverpool beat Inter 1–0 without him, prompting further debate about his role going forward.
Slot confirmed the decision to leave Salah out of the squad was made jointly with the club hierarchy, though the final calls on line-ups remain his.
“We decided as a club, and I was part of that, not to take him to Inter,” he said. “I talk to Richard Hughes a lot more than Michael Edwards. We speak about many things.”
Asked whether defensive work rate was the reason Salah was benched, Slot refused to comment further, reiterating that the next discussion must be with Salah himself.
In his explosive mixed-zone interview, Salah said he felt betrayed and confused after being left out of the starting XI for three straight matches something he claimed had never happened in his career.
“I’m very disappointed,” he said. “I have done so much for this club, especially last season, and now I’m sitting on the bench. It seems like someone wants me to take all the blame.”
He added that his relationship with Slot had suddenly deteriorated: “I said many times that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship.”
Liverpool’s stance remains publicly neutral, but with Saudi clubs preparing fresh bids and Salah’s future unclear, Brighton could genuinely be his last Anfield appearance.
Slot would not say whether he wants Salah to stay. “I see no reason why I don’t want him to stay,” he said. “But the next time I speak about him will be with him.”
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