Mohamed Salah questions future at Liverpool after being benched
Mohamed Salah has claimed he has been “thrown under the bus” as he revealed next week’s match against Brighton could be his last game at Anfield, reports BritPanorama.
The 33-year-old was left on the bench as Arne Slot’s team drew 3-3 with Leeds United at Elland Road after a last-minute equaliser from Japanese midfielder Ao Tanaka.
Salah told reporters: “I don’t know what to say. It’s funny but I couldn’t believe it. It is a really disappointing result for us as a team because we expect to win a game like that.” Asked what he could not believe, he replied: “That I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes! The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I’m very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season.”
The Egyptian international continued: “I don’t know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club. This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much I will always do. I called my mum yesterday, you guys didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew.”
Additionally, Salah mentioned: “Yesterday I said to them, come to the Brighton game. I don’t know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it. In my head, I’m going to enjoy that game because I don’t know what is going to happen now. I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go to the Africa Cup of Nations. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”
The striker, who will join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 15, stated he does not understand why last season’s best player “has to defend himself in front of the media and fans.” He expressed: “It is not acceptable for me…I don’t know why this is happening to me. I don’t get it. I think if this was somewhere else, every club would protect its player.”
Salah argued that current circumstances portray him as “the problem in the team now,” asserting, “But I don’t think I am the problem. I have done so much for this club. The respect, I want to get. I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone but I earned my position. It’s football. It is what it is.”
In his response to whether this situation hurts, Salah remarked: “Absolutely. After what I have done for the club it really hurts. You can imagine, really. After going from home to the club and you don’t know if you are starting. I know the club too well, I have been here many years.”
Salah acknowledged he might face criticism, saying, “Tomorrow (Jamie) Carragher is going to go for me again and again and that’s fine.” When asked if he regretted signing a new deal, he laughed, responding: “Imagine how bad that I have to answer it, honestly,” while insisting there is no issue with his team-mates.
He confirmed there are issues with the hierarchy at the club, including with boss Slot. “Yeah, there’s no relationship between us,” he admitted. “It was a very good relationship and now all of a sudden there is no relationship.”
Salah sidestepped a question about interest from Saudi Arabia, stating: “I don’t want to answer this question because the club is going to take me to a different direction,” and conveyed uncertainty about his future, saying, “I cannot say it is impossible (to solve), but from what I feel, I have done so much for the club, I love the fans and the club so much…But I don’t know what is going to happen next.”
Slot commented on the team’s struggles, stating: “I think we’re improving. Individuals are improving, performances are improving, but it’s hard to take for these players as well. They’re putting so much effort in and fighting so hard and not to get the result so many times.” He acknowledged the pressure on players and staff, reflecting on the atmosphere surrounding the club.
Liverpool had lost seven of their previous 11 away league games before heading to Elland Road, where they had not lost in over 25 years. While they left with a point, this draw will feel like another defeat, accumulating further pressure on their head coach.
“It’s not about me, it’s what the players feel, what the fans feel, what everyone who loves this football club feels,” Slot concluded. “I think we all feel the same at this moment. But I also hope that everyone sees that these players are fighting really, really hard.”
As Salah faces an uncertain future, his talent remains undeniable, and the looming question of whether this could be a farewell at Anfield only adds to the palpable tension enveloping both player and the club — a compelling reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in football.
