Liverpool Crisis: Salah-Slot Feud Explodes as Reds Face Make-or-Break Moment
"I never respected you as a footballer, I have no respect for you as a coach, and I have zero respect for you as an individual." Roy Keane's brutal verbal assault on Mick McCarthy left no stone unturned when he confronted the Republic of Ireland boss in front of the entire squad prior to the 2002 World Cup. Keane departed the camp soon thereafter.
Among the extensive history of conflicts between players and their coaches, Mohamed Salah's ongoing dispute with Arne Slot at Liverpool may lack the fiery language of Keane's devastating critique of McCarthy, but it similarly concludes with one party heading for the departure lounge. Unless there's an extraordinary reconciliation and Salah, who participated in training before Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Inter Milan, demonstrates remorse, his time at Liverpool is drawing to a close.
In reality, no declarations of restored harmony can mend this fracture. A complete separation is required.
Liverpool operates as an organization that views the squad as family, values solidarity and prefers to handle any conflicts privately. Their top earner shattered this approach with his public criticism of Slot following his third consecutive match on the substitutes' bench.
Salah Enters Gallery of High-Profile Confrontations
Typically in such confrontations, it's the player who departs. Keane's Manchester United teammate, David Beckham, was notoriously struck by a boot launched by Sir Alex Ferguson during their heated exchange in the Old Trafford changing room regarding the midfielder's positioning for an Arsenal goal in 2003. It was Ole Gunnar Solskjær's boot that Ferguson made contact with, sending it flying through the air and slicing Beckham above the eyebrow. Butterfly stitches represented the deep fracture in their relationship and Beckham transferred to Real Madrid soon after. And he retained the boot.
At Arsenal, Mesut Özil clashed with Unai Emery in 2019 and subsequently Mikel Arteta in 2020, was excluded from their Europa League roster and then their Premier League squad. Özil gained some public support in the PR war by volunteering to cover the salary of the beloved fan who portrayed the large mascot Gunnersaurus on match days. Arsenal had made the fan redundant during cost-reduction measures. So Özil was temporarily portrayed as The Hero Who Rescued Gunnersaurus. Despite winning public sympathy, Özil still found himself pushed out of the club.
It's a common pattern in football. If Salah versus Slot represented the headline bout in player-manager conflicts, there would be an extensive supporting card. Mario Balotelli clashed with Roberto Mancini at Manchester City in 2013, even physically grappling when tensions boiled over during training.
Cristiano Ronaldo battled with Erik ten Hag at Man Utd in 2022, shared some harsh words with Piers Morgan in a candid interview and departed Old Trafford abruptly. Marcus Rashford was eager to escape from Ruben Amorim and United in 2024 and 2025. Amorim was similarly keen to facilitate Rashford's exit. The common thread in all these situations is that no player supersedes the club. The manager must receive support otherwise chaos ensues.
Separating is difficult, reconciling is even more challenging and it's difficult to envision this Salah-Slot divide being bridged. It is dramatic: a breakdown between the Player of the Year and the Manager of the Year. Salah didn't express his words in anger. He'd obviously been contemplating them. Where Salah lost immediate support was in declaring he'd earned the right to start based on his past contributions to Liverpool. That contradicts the principles of elite competition. Salah's performance isn't meeting standards. The statistics are clear, and FSG emphasizes data. In his most recent 30 matches, Salah's netted seven goals. In his prior 30, Salah scored 25. Calculate the difference. And he's 33.
Salah Statement Violates Sacred Liverpool Principle
It appears the club has sacrificed me as a scapegoat. That is my perception. I believe it is quite obvious that someone desired me to shoulder all the responsibility.
It's also ridiculous for Salah to assert he's barely featured. Among Liverpool's forwards, only Cody Gakpo has accumulated more Premier League minutes this season (1,138 minutes compared to Salah's 1,119 minutes).
When the Salah story emerged at 9.10 p.m. UK time on Saturday, I was attending a gathering hosted by Sunderland supporters still celebrating last Wednesday's point at Anfield. I located a quiet space away from the loud praise of Granit Xhaka's captaincy to participate in a BBC radio call-in show to discuss Salah's statement. One caller proposed Salah had damaged his legacy at Liverpool. He hasn't. Supporters will recall the golden moments. There were countless: 250 goals, 113 assists, eight trophies, including two Premier Leagues and the Champions League, across 420 matches. Salah's an authentic Liverpool icon.
Many regular attendees will honor Salah but remember that the club molded by the legendary Bill Shankly was founded on sacrifice. "For a player to be worthy of representing Liverpool, he must be willing to charge through a brick wall for me then emerge fighting on the opposite side," Shankly declared. Not protest.
Shankly's club, and particularly FSG, cannot permit Salah to prevail in this. It would further weaken Slot's authority. It requires consideration—briefly—whether Slot is the actual issue here. Some supporters doubt Slot's people skills but these were praised as assets last season. Slot possesses a frankness often linked with the Dutch that functions well during successful periods but some delicate personalities can be disturbed. But players must be more resilient and rise to the challenge.
At a moment when Liverpool required a concentrated, effective Salah, backing Slot, they received only problems. Slot isn't in the strongest position following a streak of just four victories in 15 matches but Salah's statement does create the exit opportunity—for the player. FSG and Slot, along with the recruitment experts, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, must capitalize on this chance to escort Salah through the door and accelerate the club's renewal.
Salah, at 33, represents the past, and a very magnificent one. Florian Wirtz, 22, Hugo Ekitiké, 23, and Alexander Isak, 26, represent the future. The newcomers simply must strive for the excellence Salah previously established.
Determination Will Determine Whether Salah Accepts Saudi Offer
Unless there's a genuine reconciliation it makes greater sense for Salah to move forward. With the Egyptian King departing for the Africa Cup of Nations next week, Liverpool could provide Salah a send-off against Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday and then transfer him to a Saudi Pro League team in the January transfer period. Those expressing interest include Al Hilal, who average 19,562 at their 30,000-capacity Kingdom Arena. Salah has also been connected with Al Ittihad, who attract nearly 40,000 spectators at their King Abdullah Sports City venue. It's not Anfield, it's not the Premier League but Salah faces a choice regarding ambition and salary.
The unfortunate truth for Salah is that Liverpool now require him less than he needs them. In the three matches he was benched for, Liverpool remained undefeated. The victory over West Ham and stalemates with Sunderland and Leeds United weren't outstanding displays but Liverpool's issues were defensive not offensive. Liverpool still found the net six times without Salah.
I maintained a positive relationship with the manager and suddenly, we have no relationship whatsoever.
His exit would generate some transfer fee for a player with 20 months remaining on his deal and liberate wages reportedly around $533,000 (£400,000) weekly. Liverpool could then activate the £65 million ($86 million) release clause to acquire Antoine Semenyo. Bournemouth's promising 25-year-old winger scored twice at Anfield earlier this season and would deliver the type of wide service that Isak flourishes with. Salah drifts inward.
Tactically, Salah is lacking the distribution of Trent Alexander-Arnold. It doesn't assist Salah that there's a rotation of right backs supporting him, including Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endō and Curtis Jones. Far more importantly and emotionally, Salah is also mourning his friend Diogo Jota, who perished in a tragic car accident with his brother in July. There is considerable compassion for Salah.
He maintains he's not receiving affection at Liverpool. One moment he's conducting a new contract photo session seated on a throne and then next he's feeling sacrificed as a scapegoat. But he's sacrificed Slot and the club as scapegoats. For Liverpool to progress again, they must move the great Salah forward.