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2 hours ago
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Josh Williams, writer and podcaster
Mohamed Salah is one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history. That isn’t open for debate. But everyone makes mistakes, and after the draw at Leeds, Salah made a huge one. By seeking the media to air his personal grievances, he essentially justified Arne Slot’s decision to bench him for three consecutive games. Salah’s recent behaviour suggests he’s an individual playing in a team sport. An individual who Liverpool can’t quite afford to carry right now.
Liverpool had conceded 10 goals in three games before Salah’s removal. That had to stop. And with the Egyptian struggling to deliver in the final third this season, it made sense for Slot to experiment without his superstar. The player who defends the least. And just to reaffirm that message, Slot placed Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool’s best presser – in Salah’s place.
Liverpool’s subsequent matches have been less thrilling for the neutral, with the Reds restricting West Ham, Sunderland and Inter to very little in terms of valuable shots. And Leeds created virtually nothing in 72 minutes before Ibrahima Konaté’s random blunder changed the whole landscape. Slot is prioritising stability over stardust right now. And Salah is taking it personally.
Chris Smith, author of Always Liverpool
It is possible to be disappointed in Salah’s actions – in my view emotionally driven rather than nefariously calculated – but still have sympathy with his sentiment. Salah has a right to feel scapegoated and undefended. By bombing him out, Slot breathed life into the narrative that Salah is the problem. Was it deliberate and self-serving? Doesn’t matter. It conveyed a message: Liverpool were moving on from the player who fired us to a title. And Mo had something to say about that.
In part this is a crisis of Slot’s own making. The communication breakdown is a failure of man management. I already had massive concerns over how Slot disregards certain squad members, and for sure Mo required especially careful handling. Now Salah is cast as a pariah, and Jamie Carragher is leading the pitchfork parade. No longer a “little dancer!” and instead selfish and egotistical. To castigate those traits ignores how Liverpool have benefited tremendously from Salah’s unwavering belief in his own greatness and hunger to achieve more, for himself and us.
Salah still has immense value to this team. The idea that his powers have waned so dramatically and so soon is absurd. The situation is redeemable, but I doubt that’s the club’s desire, despite what Slot said on Friday about having “no reason” for wanting Salah to leave. Mo’s Liverpool career probably ends here. Without a proper goodbye or a chance to say thank you. And that’s desperately sad.
Chloe Bloxam, presenter for The Redmen TV
Liverpool have been having a turbulent season and Salah’s comments last weekend have only heightened the sense of disarray around the club. The Egyptian King is an Anfield legend, one of the very best to ever wear the red shirt, and undoubtedly a Premier League great. All of that being said, I don’t agree with the way he went about voicing his frustration in public and seeking out the media.
I can understand Salah’s frustration at not starting – players with elite mentality shouldn’t enjoy sitting on the bench. But the reality is he’s not been in form and Szoboszlai, who has replaced him at right wing for the past three Premier League games, has been Liverpool’s heart and soul. If any player has a problem with the club or the manager, it should be discussed and resolved internally and away from the public eye, especially now given how much attention and scrutiny has been on Merseyside recently.
Overall, this entire saga reflects badly on the club and it has caused an unnecessary divide in what should be a united fanbase, one that is doing everything it can to help Liverpool turn their season around.
Adam Smith, contributor to The Anfield Wrap
First and foremost, Salah is a Liverpool legend. When the dust settles on his career, he will go down as one of the best to ever pull on the shirt. As with all superstars, Salah can also be incredibly selfish. This isn’t the first time he has used the press to play out his side of an argument, having spent the rest of his Liverpool career studiously ignoring journalists when they’ve asked to speak to him.
I do wonder, though, if this is the first time that he has misjudged the mood of supporters. Although some will agree with him no matter what, others have been saddened by his attempt to make it a “me or Slot” argument at a time when backs are against the wall. I’ve therefore asked myself, why it is that he’s chosen to do this now? I can’t get away from the sense that he is a man staring his footballing mortality in the face and being afraid of what comes next.
The long-term future of Liverpool doesn’t include Mohamed Salah, which I can well imagine isn’t a nice prospect for Mohamed Salah. Maybe he’s laying the groundwork to jump before he’s pushed.
What Salah did is unacceptable. No player is bigger than Liverpool, irrespective of their personal contribution. Yet Salah seems to think he is. “I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it,” he said at Elland Road. Earned it in the past, certainly, but now? Not so much. Slot was right to experiment without him.
Salah hasn’t just under-delivered in 2025-26; he has got only two non-penalty goals and assists more than Szoboszlai this calendar year. Despite playing in a variety of positions, the Hungarian has delivered almost as much tangible output as a man for whom such numbers are a specialist subject.
While Liverpool’s title defence has been poor, their troubles have been overblown a touch. The champions are three points behind fourth in the league and are ninth in the Champions League. The outlook could soon look considerably brighter. Everyone puling in the same direction would help, but the highest-paid player at the club appears to feel exempt from doing that. It has been suggested that Slot has lost the dressing room. Based on the togetherness shown in Milan, it is perhaps likelier Salah has lost it.
