Liverpool are going through turbulent times. It’s nothing new at a club accustomed to oscillating between epic and turmoil, but what’s happening to Mohamed Salah is more than just an episode, it’s a fracture that threatens the emotional heart of the team and the sport.
The idol who changed the Reds’ recent history – 250 goals, titles, eternal nights and a religious connection to Anfield – suddenly became a question Arne Slott didn’t know if he could or wanted to keep.
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I’m on the bench now, but I don’t know why. It seems like the club is using me as an excuse.
The trigger was a change of players. He failed to feature in the starting eleven for three games in a row and didn’t play a single minute against Leeds before the Egyptian exploded in the mixed zone and thundered across the Mersey.
“I’m very disappointed. I’ve done a lot for this club over the last few years, especially last season. Now I’m on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club is using me as an excuse. That’s how I feel. Someone is trying to use me and put all the blame on me. It’s clear. I had a lot of commitments in the summer, but now I’m on the bench for three games in a row. I’ve said many times that I had a good relationship with the manager, but now I don’t know why, but it seems like someone doesn’t want me at the club.”
The injured Salah hinted that he no longer feels loved, that someone is trying to make him a scapegoat and, most alarmingly, that he may not be able to return after playing in the African Cup of Nations. At Liverpool, it was a message that sounded like an early farewell and a direct challenge to the manager.
Slott, the new man in the unsuspecting dugout, responded strongly. No half-measures, no hot cloths: Salah did not travel to Milan for the Champions League game against Inter. There are no injuries. There are no formal penalties. There are technical decisions that actually hit the table. “My reaction is clear: he’s not with us tonight,” the Dutchman said. When asked if ‘Number 11’ had played in red in his last game, he said, ‘I don’t know,’ which froze the entire club. Anfield got the message. Slot positioned himself. No one is above the group. Not even Salah.
divorce without a mediator
The biggest concern is lack of communication. The coach himself freely admitted as much: “We told him he wasn’t going to travel. That’s the only communication we had with him.” A cold break with no intermediate passageway or explanation. On the other hand, a soccer player feels betrayed by the loyalty he has earned over many years of scoring goals. Meanwhile, one coach became convinced that the team needed new rules, new roles, and less untouchable hierarchies.
“We told him not to travel. That’s the only communication we had with him.”
The fractures don’t stop there. Liverpool’s authoritative spokesperson and fan mirror Jamie Carragher has launched a no-holds-barred attack on Sky Sports. Former defender Salah chose a weak moment to attack the club and force a favorable scenario. “I thought it was embarrassing,” he said. He even hinted that the Egyptian player was trying to provoke Slott’s sacking, an already unpleasant shadow that has been echoed in England. Former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso also took part in a press conference on the matter.
I thought it was embarrassing
Period or period?
The board doesn’t want to let go of its star. He renewed his contract a few months ago, increasing his salary and guaranteeing him a central role until 2027. But a deteriorating sporting situation – Liverpool are 10th in the Premier League and suffering an identity crisis – has changed priorities. And Pharaoh’s statement ignited a powder keg that could not be ignored.
The situation leaves a question at Anfield: can Salah live with a coach who no longer considers him indispensable? Will Slott have room to maintain an open game with the biggest man in the dressing room? The clock is ticking, the African Cup of Nations approaches and the winter transfer window looms as an attractive but dangerous escape route.
The club has already communicated its position: no one is forever and no one, no matter how legendary a footballer, can live outside the collective rules. Salah, used to a world revolving around his left foot, now faces a decision to end his story in England. He can redirect it. Alternatively, you can burn the remains of the bridge. He had already said on Tuesday on radio MARCA’s La Trib that his future could be in Saudi Arabia. Other rumors say he is in the US.
What is clear is that we haven’t seen anything like that at Anfield for some time. The slot touched the totem. Salah reacted fiercely. And Liverpool, caught between their glorious past and questionable present, wait for a solution that could change everything. In December 2025, this myth will be questioned. And for the first time since the arrival of that Chelsea man, the ending was not written by his goal. It hinges on a battle of egos, silence, and decisions that fans never expected to experience.
