Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah may be met with a cold reception upon his return from the African Cup of Nations, but the Reds’ dressing room is missing one familiar face that could have eased his return to the team. That man is Kostas Tsimikas, who is currently on loan at Roma. The left-back was released after Arne Slott brought in Milos Kerkes over the summer, leaving Salah to bid farewell to his colleague of five years.
Fast forward to the present and Salah faces a potentially sticky situation when he returns to club duty later this month. He took his frustrations out on his boss in early December after missing several games amid Liverpool’s recent poor run of form. The rant inevitably sparked rumors that Salah’s days at Anfield are numbered and he could even be sacked in January.
The Saudi club are once again rumored to be interested in a winter move, with Salah’s relationship with Liverpool appearing to be strained, but it is understood the club are not actively considering a sale.
Egypt won their opening two group stage matches and became the first team to qualify for the AFCON finals.
This ensures that Salah will remain in Morocco until at least January 5, but his absence could be extended for another two weeks if Egypt reach the final.
Given the incendiary nature of his comments after the recent draw with Leeds, the stage is set for an awkward reunion at Anfield.
And Tsimikas, who fell out of favor at Roma after a difficult opening six months in Italy, would have become a valuable confidant after The Athletic revealed how “tight” the pair were.
Tissimikas, who won four major accolades with Salah, provided new insight into speculation surrounding the Egyptian’s possible departure last summer, when the player was being heavily courted by Saudi Arabian clubs.
His comments suggest he has inside information about Salah’s thinking and highlight the strength of their friendship.
“He (Salah) said he felt he was more on the outside than on the inside of the team, and that was true. There was a 10-20 percent chance of him staying, no more,” Tsimikas told Sport 24 in June.
“If they didn’t give him what he wanted, Mo wouldn’t have stayed quiet and he would have left, but he wanted to stay because he loves the team and he loves the people.”
“He loves it here and his family has lived here for years. It’s a difficult step to leave. He was having a season so it was only a matter of time before they gave him what he wanted and he stayed.”
Tsimikas also revealed the depth of his bond with Salah during their early days at Anfield. He even went so far as to call the forward, who has been on Merseyside for just 12 months, one of his “best mates” at the club.
“Mo is one of my best friends here. He’s always helped me when I needed something,” he shared in 2021.
“I don’t want to talk about this player. He’s a great guy. As a human being, he’s one of the best players I’ve ever met in my life. He was there when I wanted him and when I wanted him to communicate what the manager wanted.”
“He has always helped me and we are very good friends, we spend a lot of time together here at the practice range and we chat a lot.”
