Mohamed Salah has been on the bench for Liverpool’s last two games, with Jamie Redknapp suggesting the Egyptian forward could leave the club within the next few months.
Former Liverpool favorite Jamie Redknapp has admitted he would be “surprised” if Mohamed Salah fulfilled the remainder of his contract at Anfield, claiming the relationship between the Egyptian and the club has reached “breaking point”. The Sky Sports star even hinted that Salah could leave in January.
Redknapp admitted he feared Salah and Liverpool would be forced to part ways on a bitter note after Salah was left on the bench for the second game in a row against Sunderland. The 33-year-old was brought on in the second half but failed to make much of a difference in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with the in-form Black Cats.
Back in April, Salah signed a new contract with Liverpool, securing his future on Merseyside until 2027. This new contract comes after Salah had his best season at the club. He helped Liverpool win the Premier League last season, scoring 29 goals and providing 18 assists in 38 league games. However, the Egyptian’s performance seems to have caused this campaign to plummet.
read more: Arne Slott drops Liverpool star again, raising concerns for Mohamed Salahread more: Liverpool manager speaks out, Mohamed Salah’s reaction to Arne Slott being left on the bench again
The 33-year-old is not alone in his downturn. Many of Arne Slott’s side are struggling to find their rhythm, and the pressure is on the Dutchman after a string of disappointing results.
However, Salah has been a reliable figure for Liverpool supporters for many years, and a decline in form has seen him left out of the slot’s last two starting XI. Redknapp believes their relationship has reached a critical juncture and fears Salah and Liverpool are headed for an ugly break-up.
“He’s a great guy in the Premier League, a great guy in Liverpool, so I don’t think this situation will end well,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s going to be a difficult situation for the manager right now, given that he has very good and important people in the team in and around the dressing room and how they react and behave during training.
“He doesn’t want to be on the bench. He didn’t sign this contract with his career in mind. He wants to play week in and week out.
“I would be surprised if he saw out the remaining two years of his contract, or the year and a half. I don’t think this would solve the situation one bit. Nothing in football would surprise me – whether it’s in January or maybe in the summer.”
“If the right club comes along…a lot will be determined by this guy. He’s earned that right. And if he says, ‘Look, if I’m not going to be a starter, I’m not one of those players to hang around. I’ll go wherever I need to go.’ I think he still wants to play in Europe.
“The first thing we all say is he’s going to go to Saudi Arabia – he’s obviously a legend in that region – or does he want to go to the US, but for me this is the real breaking point in the relationship right now.
“He’s going to be disappointed and, as you say, he’s going to be blamed for what’s going on. But while the team is winning without him…I looked at those stats and they were pretty good numbers when he wasn’t playing.
“No one is essential, time waits for no one, and now it’s going to be difficult.”
Earlier this week, Slott admitted he was unhappy with Salah’s absence from the game against West Ham and revealed his reaction to Wednesday’s decision.
Before the game, he said: “We didn’t have a long conversation this time or before the West Ham game. We talked a lot after the Frankfurt game, but not as much now.”
“I think he’s reacting the way you want a top professional to react, which is that he trained very hard and well the day after the game at West Ham and he trained well yesterday as well. He’s really positive towards his team-mates.”
“In that sense, he’s a role model. He was a role model for all the players when he played, and he’s a role model now when he’s not playing.”
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