Arne Slot will hold talks with Mohamed Salah today as the Liverpool head coach insisted: “I have no reasons for not wanting him to stay.”
The Dutchman says the outcome of those discussions at Kirkby will determine whether the third-highest goalscorer in the club’s history returns to the squad for Saturday’s home Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Salah’s future at Anfield was thrown into doubt after his incendiary comments following last weekend’s game at Leeds United and subsequent exclusion from the squad for the mid-week Champions League away win at Inter.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome of that conversation determines how it will look tomorrow,” Slot said.
“What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. You can keep on trying but there’s not much more to say.
“We have spoken a lot in the last week. There were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, our representatives and him, between him and me, and today I will speak to him again.”
Slot refused to be drawn on whether Salah would need to apologise for his outburst if he’s going to return to the squad against Brighton.
Asked if he wanted the Egyptian attacker to remain at Liverpool, Slot said: “I have no reasons for not wanting him to stay.”
Reacting to being left out of the team for a third successive game, Salah claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and said his relationship with Slot had broken down. He also left the door open to a possible January move and said he plans to say “goodbye” to the fans on Saturday before linking up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah has scored five goals in all competitions this season (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in the decision to leave Salah out of the Milan trip, but Slot says whether to have him in the squad against Brighton will be his own call.
“I think we decided as a club — and I was part of that decision — not to take him to Milan and I am always in contact with them (Hughes and FSG CEO of football Michael Edwards),” he added.
“But when it comes to the decision-making of the line-up or the squad they always leave it open to me. That is not to say I don’t talk to them, mainly Richard not Michael, but I talk to him about so many things.
“The decision to play a player or have him in the squad – as I have experienced until now and I think this will never change – is entirely up to me.”
Liverpool are waiting on the fitness of striker Alexander Isak, who complained of discomfort following the Inter game. Federico Chiesa is set to return to the squad after illness but Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo remain sidelined.
“Alex got a knock in the first half so let’s see how he recovers from that today and if he is able to start tomorrow,” Slot said.
“Federico is not ill anymore. He trained yesterday so I assume he’s ready to be in the squad tomorrow. It’s going to be weeks (for Gakpo and Endo). With Cody it’s a muscle injury and Wata is an ankle injury.”
