Liverpool manager Arne Slot has announced he will hold a crucial meeting with star forward Mohamed Salah on Friday morning, with the Egyptian’s availability for this weekend’s Premier League clash against Brighton hanging in the balance.
The planned summit follows days of escalating tension after Salah was surprisingly omitted from the squad for Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win at Inter Milan on Tuesday. In response, the 33-year-old posted a pointed image on social media, showing himself training alone at the club’s Kirkby academy gym while his teammates were in Italy.
The public display of frustration is the latest in a growing list of disputes. Last week, after being benched for Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds—his third consecutive match without a start—Salah accused the club of throwing him “under the bus” and told reporters he has “no relationship” with manager Slot.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning—the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow,” Slot told his pre-match press conference on Friday. He declined to elaborate further, adding: “I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. You can keep on trying but there is not much more to say about it.”
Salah’s future at Anfield has been the subject of intense speculation, with strong interest from clubs in the lucrative Saudi Pro League. Slot hinted at ongoing dialogue behind the scenes, referencing “a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me” following Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland on December 3, in which Salah appeared only as a substitute.
The timing of the rift is concerning for Liverpool, who sit 10th in the Premier League after a shocking run of just two wins in their last 10 matches. Salah, a club legend with 250 goals in 420 appearances and winner of two Premier League titles and the Champions League with the Reds, has struggled to replicate last season’s form, managing only four league goals in 13 appearances this campaign.
Complicating matters further is the looming Africa Cup of Nations. Salah is expected to join the Egypt squad after the Brighton match, and his absence could extend until mid-January depending on how far Egypt progress in the tournament.
As tensions mount, Friday’s private conversation between Slot and Salah is set to be decisive—not only for this weekend’s team sheet but for the future of one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players.
