Mohamed Salah’s recent bombshell interview and long-term future at Liverpool remains a key talking point ahead of the January transfer window
Jamie Carragher disagrees with Ian Wright over the suggestion that Arne Slot was trying to send a message to Mohamed Salah by keeping him on the bench for the entirety of the draw against Leeds United earlier this month.
The clash at Elland Road ended in a 3-3 draw after a brace from Hugo Ekitike and a strike from Dominik Szoboszlai were cancelled out by three soft goals for the hosts, capped off by a last-minute equaliser. Salah, who had started on the bench for a third consecutive league game, remained an unused substitute.
To make matters worse for the Reds, Liverpool’s talisman then spoke to the media in the mixed zone post-match, delivering a bombshell interview in which he claimed there was no longer a relationship with the head coach and that he had been thrown under the bus following the team’s dismal run of form.
Salah later went on to hint that the Premier League clash with Brighton, which Liverpool went on to win 2-0, could be his farewell to the club. In that game, the 33-year-old came on as a first-half substitute for the injured Joe Gomez.
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Interest from the Saudi Pro League and MLS is no secret, and Salah is now away with his country at the Africa Cup of Nations. It remains unclear whether he will return to Anfield following the tournament in Morocco or pursue a move away in January.
While something of a truce appeared to have been reached that allowed Salah to return to the matchday squad last weekend against Brighton, widespread reports suggest this saga is far from over. As a result, it is no surprise that pundits, fans and the media alike are dissecting what happened following the Leeds game and what may come next.
An extended segment on this week’s episode of ‘Stick to Football’ from The Overlap, featuring Carragher, Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Jill Scott, was dedicated to discussing Salah’s situation and his long-term future at Liverpool. Wright believes Slot intended to send a message to Salah at Leeds by leaving him on the bench for the full 90 minutes.
“It’s almost like a power thing (from Slot),” the former Arsenal man explained. “Why are you not bringing him on in a game like that?
“He was (sending a message). You’re sitting there and I’m going to make you sit there.”
Carragher intervened, saying: “You’re wrong Wrighty, no, no,” to which Wright replied: “That’s my opinion Jamie, because he could have easily diffused it and brought him on.”
Carragher then jumped to Slot’s defence, adding: “It’s not about diffusing the situation, it’s about a manager trying to get three points, who is absolutely fighting for his life.
“Listen, we’re talking about Liverpool being 2-0 up, you’re not going to bring Mo Salah on at 2-0, you don’t need a goal. It then goes 2-2, Liverpool score five minutes later and the ball’s only in play, I looked through it on Monday Night Football, for three minutes.
“OK, can he bring him on in that three minutes? But the guy in his position scores the goal, so he hasn’t got it wrong.
“The point I’m trying to make is, I’m not saying it’s completely wrong (bringing Salah on at 3-2) because he can go up the other end and score you a goal, but the reason he isn’t playing is because the three games they played before, they lost 3-0 to Manchester City, 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest and 4-1 at home to PSV.”
Carragher concluded his defence of the club by saying: “Bring the war on, the most important thing is the team, the club and getting results. And by the way, ever since Mo Salah’s been out of the team, they haven’t lost.
“He’s trying to build confidence back as a Liverpool team, where we feel secure, from there we can go on to get the goals. Mo Salah hasn’t played well.
“I keep saying this, he’s one of the greatest players for Liverpool, we love him, but right now, the most important thing isn’t individual players, it’s getting the team back. He’s not sending a message to anybody!”
