Salah benched for Liverpool match against Brighton
Mohamed Salah has been named on the bench for Liverpool against Brighton after being left out of the squad for the team’s midweek Champions League clash, reports BritPanorama.
This decision comes after peace talks with Arne Slot regarding his long-term future at Anfield. Salah spoke to journalists in the mixed zone at Elland Road following Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds, where he remained an unused substitute for the third consecutive match.
“I’m very disappointed,” Salah shared with reporters. “I’ve done so much for this club – everyone can see that – over years, especially last season, sitting on the bench I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That’s how I feel it.”
He further criticized the club’s conduct, stating, “It’s very clear that someone wants me to take all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. So far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they have kept those promises.” Additionally, Salah noted that his previously positive relationship with Slot has deteriorated, suggesting that unnamed figures within the organisation want him gone.
The aftermath of Salah’s interview has incited harsh criticism from Liverpool legends. Jamie Carragher labelled the forward a “disgrace,” while Steven Gerrard deemed his statement about being thrown under the bus as “wrong.”
Salah was excluded from the squad for the Champions League match against Inter Milan, which Liverpool won 1-0. He now returns to the bench in a match that sees fans eager to see if he will feature. In a pre-match press conference, Liverpool’s manager stated, “I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome of that conversation determines how it will look tomorrow. I have no reasons not wanting him to stay, if that is a little bit of an answer.”
Slot clarified that the decision to leave Salah behind for the San Siro encounter was not solely his, highlighting that it was a collective choice involving the club’s hierarchy. “We decided as a club, and I was part of that decision not to take him to the Inter Milan game,” he explained, elaborating on the extent of consultation with the club’s sporting director and owners.
As Liverpool faces Brighton today, some see it as potentially Salah’s final game for the team before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations, which runs from December 21 to January 18 in Morocco. Reports suggest that five clubs are monitoring his situation, including Saudi Pro League teams Al-Hilal, Al-Qadisah, and Neom, as well as American sides San Diego and Chicago Fire. Saudi Pro League chief Omar Mugharbel confirmed at the World Football Summit that “Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players. For sure, Salah is one of their targets.”
In a world where football dynamics shift as quickly as the fortunes of a club, Salah’s position at Liverpool underscores the unpredictable landscape he navigates. Through loyalty, ambition, and the harsh realities of modern football, his next steps could indeed redefine his legacy.
