Mohamed Salah will go away, however the concern won’t. Salah returned to the Liverpool aspect as a substitute against Brighton. Arne Slot might have tried to consign the problem of his outstanding interview at Leeds to the previous, however he accepted others won’t. “For me, it has settled down, but if the outside world wants to keep talking about it, that’s fine with me,” stated the Liverpool head coach. He held talks with Salah on Friday; after being a part of the choice to omit him from the squad that went to Italy for the Champions League win over Inter, he then restored him to contention on Saturday.
As Salah heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations, there are prone to be additional conversations between the Egyptian’s representatives and the membership throughout the subsequent month. Yet if Slot recommended that the participant and supervisor are reconciled, questions stay unanswered.
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Did Salah apologise?
On Monday, explaining why Salah was not taken to Milan, Slot stated: “I think usually I’m calm and polite, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak.” On Saturday, after Salah got here off the bench to arrange Hugo Ekitike’s second in opposition to Brighton, he stated one other supervisor might need opted for a heavier punishment. “Should he be [out] once, twice, three times, four times, four months or 12 years?” he requested. “Every manager makes different decisions on that.”
Arne Slot returned Mohamed Salah to his squad however didn’t say if the Egyptian had apologised (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
Slot stated the small print of their dialog would stay non-public, which suggests it’s not but clear if Salah has withdrawn the extraordinary accusations he made at Elland Road, together with that they now not had a relationship, or apologised. Slot as an alternative said he would treat Salah like everyone else. “For me, there is no issue to resolve. For me, he is now the same as any other player,” he stated. And but the character of their settlement stays unclear. Does Salah now not imagine he was thrown beneath a bus?
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Does Salah need to keep?
It was tempting to learn rather a lot into Salah’s actions after the ultimate whistle on Saturday, when he patted the badge on his shirt, mouthed “thank you” to supporters and appeared emotional. Because of the final week or as a result of he was saying goodbye for greater than only a month? As Slot famous, the remainder of the crew additionally did a lap of honour and applauded supporters. The Dutchman was requested if Salah is eager to stay at Anfield. “That I think you know,” he replied. “What has been said between us stays between us.”
Salah applauded the Liverpool followers on the finish of the Brighton conflict (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
Salah’s phrases at Elland Road invited the question of what his endgame was: was this an exit technique? Because he’s a participant who has attracted curiosity from the Saudi Pro League earlier than, and whose desire had all the time been to remain at Liverpool. And considered one of his grievances final week was that he had been benched for 3 consecutive video games. That implied his desire was to have his standing at Anfield restored.
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Is he in Slot’s first-choice crew?
Salah was the primary substitute Slot summoned on Saturday. It was scarcely a like-for-like swap when he got here on for the injured Joe Gomez, so it was an try to contain him. Nevertheless, Salah has not began any of Liverpool’s final five video games: he was not taken to Milan, was named on the bench for the opposite 4 and left there for 2 of them. It appeared the crux of Salah’s complaints. He appeared to assume his previous brilliance ought to assure him a spot. “I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it,” he stated final week.
Arne Slot had dropped Mohamed Salah as a result of his lack of type (Getty Images)
So has something modified? Slot’s preliminary determination to demote Salah at West Ham owed less to his lack of goals – simply five this season – than Liverpool’s have to tighten up defensively after conceding three to Nottingham Forest and 4 to PSV Eindhoven. Since then, they’ve had three clear sheets in five video games. But Slot additionally famous that Brighton had loads of probabilities on Saturday: most of their 14 pictures got here after Salah got here on. Perhaps, within the subsequent month, Liverpool will discover a defensive steadiness that may enable them to reintroduce the scorer of 250 objectives for them. Yet it might additionally imply that, by the point Salah returns, Liverpool could have performed 12 video games with out him beginning and located a formulation.
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Who performs on the fitting?
In one respect, Liverpool deliberate for all times after Salah in the summertime, investing some £300m in different attacking abilities within the form of Alexander Isak, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz. In one other, they actually didn’t. He is the one specialist proper winger within the squad, with the potential exception of Federico Chiesa, whom Slot is reluctant to begin.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been used on the fitting of midfield, however is a makeshift choice (PA Wire)
He has name-checked right-back Jeremie Frimpong as an choice on the wing, however he has been injured. He has used the ultra-versatile Dominik Szoboszlai on the right of midfield since dropping Salah, however has additionally stated he doesn’t see the Hungarian because the long-term selection there or count on him to be enjoying there in February or March. That might imply a return for Salah, or the signing of a brand new winger, similar to Antoine Semenyo.
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An additional query in Liverpool’s seek for a technique is that solely considered one of their attackers, Ekitike, has performed so nicely that he deserves being an computerized selection, and yet, because of Isak, he is not.
Would Liverpool settle for a proposal?
That might, in flip, mirror how large the provide was, and, realistically, it may only come from Saudi Arabia. Salah has 18 months left on his contract and his wage makes him one of many best-paid gamers within the league. If his deal is value £400,000 every week, that quantities to greater than £30m. If he isn’t a starter, homeowners Fenway Sports Group might choose to money in. And, in flip, any determination might contain the query of whether or not Salah is in decline or only a participant who has not discovered prime type this season.
Mohamed Salah has been courted by Saudi golf equipment prior to now (AP)
Those are all debates that predated the 33-year-old’s outburst at Leeds. Some components have modified: on Monday, Slot stated he had “no idea” if Salah had performed his final sport for Liverpool. Now he has performed yet another. Slot has stated he expects Salah again after Afcon. Teammates have stated they hope he stays. But with a lot nonetheless saved non-public, the proof might solely arrive if he returns to rivalry subsequent month.