The corridors of power at Anfield have rarely felt so fraught with tension. As Liverpool supporters digest another week of headlines dominated not by their team's march towards silverware but by the soap opera surrounding their greatest modern player, Arne Slot stepped before the press on Friday morning to deliver a message that
was equal parts olive branch and ultimatum.
A conversation that will decide everything
The Dutch manager, usually so composed in his dealings with the media, chose his words with the precision of a man walking through a minefield. Mohamed Salah's explosive interview last weekend, in which he accused the club of throwing him "under the bus", has created a rift that threatens to overshadow everything Liverpool have achieved this season.
"I'm going to have a conversation with Mo this morning and the result will determine what comes next," Slot revealed. "What I need is a conversation with him. The next time I speak about Mo, it will be in his presence, not here. I don't have much else to add."
It was a response that invited more questions than it answered. Will Salah be in the squad for Saturday's trip to Brighton? Will the Egyptian, who departs for the Africa Cup of Nations after the weekend, ever wear the red shirt again? Slot refused to be drawn, repeating his mantra about speaking only in Salah's presence with the determination of a man who has clearly been briefed by lawyers.
The club stands behind its manager
What became clear from Slot's press conference is that Liverpool's hierarchy has rallied behind their Dutch coach. The decision to exclude Salah from Tuesday's Champions League victory over Inter Milan was not made by Slot alone – it was a collective judgment that spoke volumes about where power lies at Anfield.
"Who made the decision? I believe the club decided, and I was part of it too," Slot explained. "We decided not to include him in the match against Inter. I'm always in contact with them. Regarding team selections and squads, that's always me who manages that. I speak more often with Richard Hughes than with Michael Edwards, we discuss many subjects."
For those who wondered whether Salah's status as a living legend might protect him from consequences, the answer arrived in Milan. Liverpool won 1-0 without their Egyptian king, and the message was unmistakable: no player is bigger than the club.
Salah's cry of betrayal
The interview that sparked this crisis still reverberates around Merseyside. Salah's words were raw, unfiltered, and deeply wounding to those who had assumed his relationship with Liverpool was unbreakable.
"I'm very, very disappointed," the 33-year-old said. "I've done so much for this club over the years, especially last season. Now I'm sitting on the bench and I don't know why. It feels like the club has thrown me under the bus. That's how I feel. It's very clear to me that someone wanted me to take all the responsibility."
The statistics tell one story – five goals and three assists in nineteen appearances this season, numbers that would satisfy most forwards but represent a significant decline for a player who has terrorised Premier League defences for eight years. Slot's tactical preferences tell another. The Dutch manager has been rotating his squad heavily, asking players to accept reduced roles for the greater good. Salah, it seems, is not willing to accept such a diminished status.
Van Dijk caught in the crossfire
Perhaps the most poignant contribution to this saga came from Virgil van Dijk, Salah's teammate and friend since 2018. The Dutch defender chose his words carefully, acknowledging what Salah has meant to Liverpool while stopping short of criticising his manager.
"I've been with Mo for a very long time and I've said it in another interview. He's played an important role in my success at the club, he's played an important role in the club's success. I've played an important role in his success and we've all worked together at Liverpool," Van Dijk said. "The reality is he's leaving this weekend and I hope he has an exceptional Africa Cup of Nations. But after that, I have no idea what's going to happen."
Those final words hung heavy in the air. Even Salah's closest ally at Anfield cannot predict what the future holds.
The question Slot wouldn't answer
When journalists pressed Slot on whether he wants Salah to remain at Liverpool, the manager's response was telling in its evasiveness. "Do I want him to stay? That's another way of asking the question, but the next time I speak about Mo, it will be in his presence. I see no reason not to want him to stay."
It was hardly a ringing endorsement. Compare that lukewarm statement to the declarations of undying love that previous Liverpool managers have made about their star players, and the temperature of the relationship becomes apparent. Slot respects Salah's talent – that much is beyond question – but whether he wants to build his Liverpool project around a 33-year-old who has publicly questioned his methods is another matter entirely.
What happens now
The conversation scheduled for Friday morning will shape everything that follows. Salah, under contract until 2027, holds significant power in any negotiation. Saudi Arabia continues to circle with offers that would make him one of the highest-paid athletes on the planet. Other Premier League clubs are monitoring the situation, scarcely believing that Liverpool might allow one of the league's greatest ever players to leave in acrimony.
For Liverpool supporters, the situation is agonising. They have sung Salah's name with a devotion usually reserved for deities. They have watched him score goals that will be replayed for generations. They have claimed him as their own, the Egyptian King who chose Anfield as his throne. To see him leave like this – bitter, wounded, feeling betrayed – would tarnish memories that should sparkle forever.
Slot, for his part, must balance competing pressures. He needs harmony in his dressing room as Liverpool chase honours on multiple fronts. He needs to establish his authority as manager, demonstrating that even the biggest names must conform to his methods. And he needs to win football matches, which becomes considerably harder when your most talented player is either sulking on the bench or gone altogether.
The next twenty-four hours will provide answers. Brighton awaits on Saturday, and somewhere in the bowels of the AXA Training Centre, a conversation is taking place that could determine the trajectory of Liverpool's season – and perhaps the final chapter of Mohamed Salah's extraordinary Anfield story.
