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Liverpool’s decision to omit Mohamed Salah from the Champions League squad on Monday was the first significant update since the winger’s remarkable tirade against the club over the weekend. It won’t be the last, though.
Salah’s decision to publicly criticize Liverpool and Arne Slot has dominated headlines in the last few days. The Egyptian claimed he has been “thrown under the bus” by the club, and that certain figures at Anfield want him to depart.
Those sensational comments were always going to have ramifications, even if it will take several weeks for the full effects of the saga to become clear.
The decision to banish Salah for the Inter Milan match is seen as a short-term measure, and Liverpool believes that a short period away from the team is in the best interests of all parties.
That decision was made by the club, in consultation with Slot. Many will see the head coach’s involvement as a sign that Liverpool’s hierarchy still supports him amid the ongoing downturn in results.
That said, Salah has not been disciplined by the club, and it remains unclear whether he will be involved in this weekend’s clash against Brighton.
Given that the game against the Seagulls is his final match before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah may again be excluded, allowing the situation to naturally de-escalate while he is with the Egypt squad.
Slot confirmed last week, before Salah’s bombshell interview, that he will depart Liverpool on December 15.
The 33-year-old returned to the AXA Training Centre on Sunday and was involved in the team session on Monday.
He cut a relaxed figure, laughing and joking with Dominik Szoboszlai on several occasions. There was also no hint of any friction between Salah and his Liverpool teammates.
But his exclusion against Inter does pose a problem for Slot, who is also without Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa.
It means Rio Ngumoha is the only natural winger available for the game in Italy, although Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo can be deployed in those positions.
The Reds can ill afford to drop more points after slipping out of the automatic qualification places following the 4-1 defeat against PSV Eindhoven two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Salah continues to be linked with a January move to Saudi Arabia. Should that be the case, the Liverpool icon, who sits third in the list of all-time top scorers, may have played his final match for the club.
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