Arne Slot has won the most crucial battle of his Liverpool tenure so far. Previously, he missed the Champions League match against Inter Milan (1-0 win) due to a suspension for disciplinary violations.
After the game, Slot held consultations with club management and owners, ultimately excluding 33-year-old Mohamed Salah from the squad. In an angry post-match interview, Salah said: “Obviously, there are people who don’t want me at the club anymore.”
However, in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton, Slot placed the forward on the bench. Salah was deeply dissatisfied with this, having erupted in anger a few weeks earlier after being demoted to the substitutes.
Now, Slot has clearly told Salah that only he can decide when and how long the Egyptian star will play. Sources from Sport Bild revealed that he had made this clear before the mediation meeting with Salah on Friday.
This decision has received full backing from the club’s management.
Florian Wirtz is highly anticipated, and Slot hopes he can control the game, but he has yet to live up to expectations. This is mainly due to the lack of effective coordination between him and Salah on the pitch. This situation is unlikely to change.
The possibility of Salah being sold after the AFCON, which kicks off this weekend, remains high. Slot and Liverpool are already prepared to let him leave.
They choose to let him go to maintain his high market value. However, it should be noted that if there is no suitable offer, the Egyptian star may stay at the club.
Liverpool’s asking price benchmark is €70 million, a figure acceptable to Saudi Arabian clubs.
