13 hours ago
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Jarell Quansah has given his verdict on Mohamed Salah amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Liverpool winger.
Salah criticized the club in a bombshell interview on Saturday night, resulting in him being dropped from the squad for the midweek trip to Inter Milan. It remains unclear whether he will be available for Saturday’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion, which comes two days before he departs for the Africa Cup of Nations.
In the meantime, without kicking a ball, Salah remains one of the game’s biggest talking points. So much so that Quansah was asked about his former team-mate ahead of Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League encounter against Newcastle United on Wednesday.
“I can only speak on when I was there and what I saw from Mo,” the defender said in the pre-match press conference.
“A great role model, a great character around the dressing room who obviously had an unbelievable season and helped us win the [Premier League] trophy.
“From what I've seen, it's nothing but positive. He's helped me through tough times; he's definitely done that.
“I can't speak from the outside. I'm just a Liverpool fan and looking like everyone else.”
Quansah was also asked about his relationship with Slot, who largely sidelined the England international last season. “It's not about what it was last year and what was happening. I’m totally focused on what I'm doing now,” he replied.
“I don't need to speak about my relationships with other managers. It's about what I'm doing here at Leverkusen now and the task at hand tomorrow is more important.”
Quansah departed Liverpool in the summer, joining Leverkusen for a fee of up to £35million ($47M). The Reds included a buyback clause in the deal, meaning the 22-year-old’s affinity with the club has not concluded indefinitely.
Quansah, who has missed just two Bundesliga matches since signing for the 2024 German champions, was asked in Tuesday’s media briefing if he had any regrets about leaving Liverpool given the team’s defensive woes this season.
“I had the opportunity to prove myself here [at Leverkusen] and I'm super happy that I made the move,” explained the center-back.
“You can't live the game of football with regrets. Anything could have happened at Liverpool and I had to focus on what I wanted to do and what I felt was best.
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