Mohamed Salah suffered major locker room blow before Arne Slot tensions boiled over

Mohamed Salah is away on AFCON duty with Egypt, but the Liverpool star faces a potentially tense situation when he returns following his outburst at bosses

Mohamed Salah lost a locker room ally before his attack on Liverpool and Arne Slot(Image: AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Mohamed Salah could be in for a chilly welcome when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations. There's one familiar face missing from the Reds' dressing room who might have smoothed his reintegration into the squad.

That person is none other than Kostas Tsimikas, currently on loan at Roma. The left-back was sent to Rome after Arne Slot brought in Milos Kerkez during the summer, prompting Salah to bid adieu to his colleague of five years.

Fast forward to the present day, and Salah is set to return to a potentially tense situation at the club later this month. The 33-year-old voiced his frustration at management in December after being relegated to the bench for several matches during Liverpool's recent run of disappointing results.

His outburst naturally sparked speculation that Salah's tenure at Anfield may be drawing to a close, with rumours even suggesting a January sale. Saudi clubs are once again rumored to be interested in a winter deal, as the player's relationship with Liverpool appears to be under strain, although it's not believed that the club is actively looking to sell.

Salah's Egyptian team was the first to secure a spot in the AFCON knockout stages after winning their initial two group matches. This guarantees his presence in Morocco until at least 5th January, though he could be away for an additional two weeks if Egypt progresses to the final.

The stage is set for an awkward reunion at Anfield, considering the inflammatory nature of his comments after the 3-3 draw at Leeds.

Tsimikas, who has fallen out of favour at Roma following a difficult opening six months in Italy, would have been a valuable supporter, given The Athletic's report of how "tight" the duo were.

Salah developed a strong relationship with Kostas Tsimikas before the latter had been loaned out to Roma(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Tsimikas, who has lifted four major trophies alongside Salah, offered fresh insight into the speculation surrounding his mate's potential departure last summer when the Egyptian attracted significant interest from Saudi Arabia.

His remarks hinted at the strong relationship between the two, with Tsimikas appearing to be in the know about Salah's plans.

"When he [Salah] said he felt he was more outside than inside the team, it was true, the chances of him staying were 10-20 percent, it wasn't more," Tsimikas told Sport 24 in June. "If they didn't give him what he wanted, Mo wouldn't sit back, he would leave, but he wanted to stay, because he loves the team, he loves the people.

"He likes it here very much, his family has been here for so many years, it's a difficult step to leave. With the season he had, it was only a matter of time before they gave him what he wanted and he stayed."

Tsimikas also revealed the depth of his friendship with Salah during the early stages of his Anfield career. He even described the winger as one of his "best mates" at the club after just a year on Merseyside.

"Mo is one of my best mates here. Always when I want something, he was always there for me to help me," he told reporters in December 2021. "I don't want to speak about the player — he's fantastic.

"As a person, he is one of the best I have met in my life. He was there when I wanted him and needed him to tell me what the manager wants. He was always there to help me and we are very good friends, and we spend a lot of time here in the training ground together, and we have a lot of chats."