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Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the AXA Training Centre on Friday afternoon, as Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot sat down to hold meaningful talks for the first time since that bombshell interview in the Elland Road mixed zone.
No doubt details will emerge in the subsequent days of what exactly transpired, although Liverpool will remain tight-lipped on the matter. For now, the headline news is that Salah will return to the squad for the match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
That at least shows there was some cooling of the burning-hot tension that has been bubbling away for several weeks now. No-one knows what was said, but given the de-escalation, we can presume that there has been some relenting from either Slot or Salah, most likely the latter, given it’s the Liverpool coach who holds all the cards in this incredibly high-stakes game.
The irony of an interview that Jamie Carragher described as trying to get the manager sacked is that Slot has emerged in a stronger position.
He has stood up to the most powerful member of the squad, clearly retains the support of FSG and the Liverpool hierarchy, while the decision to omit Salah has been vindicated.
Since the Egyptian dropped out of the team, Liverpool has been unbeaten in four. The Reds had lost the previous three, all of which Salah had started.
Slot has handled the situation with dignity — something Salah’s Leeds outburst lacked. It was infantile and egotistical. That the Liverpool head coach prioritized the team’s needs speaks volumes in comparison to Salah’s self-centered actions.
Yet, while Slot may stride into Anfield with a little more purpose on Saturday, he is not yet out of the woods. Firstly, he needs to decide what role his star man will play against Brighton.
Presumably, Salah will be named among the substitutes, as has been the case for the last three Premier League games. Whether he will be introduced off the bench is another story. Slot knows that either decision will create unwanted headlines.
But of greater significance is what happens when Salah returns from the Africa Cup of Nations. The 33-year-old departs after the Brighton game, which will allow Liverpool to reflect on a mind-boggling week.
There is a sense among Anfield executives that the situation may need to be addressed further, although the exact nature of that is unclear.
After all, to date, Salah has yet to face any disciplinary action for what most view as unacceptable actions. Would that be best meted out after a few weeks away from the camp when tempers are less volatile?
The biggest uncertainty is whether a January exit is a possibility. While Liverpool's stance is that there are no plans to sell Salah, that resolve would surely be tested should a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia arrive.
Officials from the Saudi Pro League have overtly expressing their renewed interest in a player who has long been the star attraction for the division.
That begs the question of what Saturday’s game against Brighton represents: Salah’s Anfield swansong, or the start of his final Liverpool chapter?
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