Mohamed Salah says he feels “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and called his future at the club into question as he revealed his relationship with head coach Arne Slot has broken down.
The Egypt international was speaking after being left out of the starting line-up for the third successive game in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Leeds United. Salah believes he’s been made a scapegoat for Liverpool’s struggles this season, insisting “someone does not want me in the club”.
The forward also left the door open to a possible Anfield exit during the January transfer window.
“The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career,” he told reporters post-match at Elland Road. “I’m very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why.
“It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame. I got a lot of promises in the summer, and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they kept their promises.
“I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. 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. I called my mum yesterday – you guys didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew. Yesterday I said, ‘come to the Brighton game’ (Saturday, December 13). 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. I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go to the Africa Cup (AFCON).”
Salah is set to join up with the Egypt squad in Morocco on December 15, ahead of the start of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Liverpool are next in action against Inter at the San Siro on Tuesday before facing Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield, Salah’s final game before he departs for AFCON on December 13.
Salah’s angry reaction will come as a surprise to supporters
Analysis from Gregg Evans
The news will come as a surprise for supporters as they begin to wonder whether they have seen the last of the club legend in a Liverpool shirt.
Salah says he doesn’t know what the future holds, and that’s hard to process after so much time together with so many happy memories. The thought of him leaving as early as when next month’s transfer window opens is also something that cannot be ruled out after Salah’s latest comments.
To see how quickly this has unravelled is also a huge shock, given the efforts that went into keeping him at the club last season.
It was less than eight months ago when Salah was sitting on a throne (literally) as the Egyptian King of Anfield after signing a new contract.
His form and physical condition leading up to that point were enough to convince owners Fenway Sports Group, to rip up their usual policy around older players and offer him the new two-year deal that he eventually signed.
Even more surprising is that only 22 Premier League games have passed since then and it’s no exaggeration to say that the 33-year-old’s form has dipped significantly.
Salah has scored just six goals in that time and after starting every game under Slot, he’s now sat on the bench for the last three outings which sparked such an angry reaction this evening.
The 33-year-old rarely conducts interviews and thinks carefully every time he discusses his career in public, so to come out with such strong comments is a sign of how badly he feels he has been treated over the past week.
Is Salah on the wane?
Analysis by Thom Harris
There is little doubt that Salah’s output has decreased dramatically this season. He is attempting fewer shots, completing a lower proportion of his take-ons, and taking fewer touches in the opposition penalty area than he ever has in a Premier League season before.
As we can see from the graphic below, the quality of chances falling Salah’s way has fallen sharply, unable to get into dangerous goalscoring opportunities with the same unerring regularity as previous campaigns.
On top of that, Salah’s usually reliable shooting technique has let him down. While he isn’t notably underperforming with regards to his expected goals, he has only been able to keep around 29.0 per cent of his shots on target, down from an average of 41.4 per cent in previous seasons.
That tallies with the eye test, and though he scored emphatically against Brentford in October, a shanked effort against Manchester United a few weeks earlier felt more indicative of his unusual lack of clinical edge so far.
There have also been concerns surrounding Salah’s impact without the ball, more easily bypassed in the press slow to offer defensive support.
That can be accounted for when the goals are flying in, but on current form, Slot’s preference to play Dominik Szoboszlai can perhaps be understood.