A Liverpool player has become the first to publicly address Mo Salah’s exclusion following his remarks about the club and Arne Slot.
After remaining on the bench during the 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday, Salah made a point of speaking to journalists in the Elland Road mixed zone to express his frustrations.
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In a fiery interview, Salah claimed that Liverpool had “thrown me under the bus” and that it “is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame”.
He also said he and Slot “don’t have any relationship” and stated that “someone doesn’t want me in the club”.
Unsurprisingly, the comments sparked significant reaction, prompting Slot to respond during his press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Inter Milan.
Salah was omitted from the squad for the match, with Slot explaining that Liverpool had “to react as a club” and admitting he was “surprised” by the statements.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker also addressed the issue during the media session, describing Salah’s absence as a “consequence” of his actions.
“It is not an easy situation, but as a group we take as best as we can take,” Alisson told reporters on Monday.
“We have the personal relationship with him, I have been playing with Mo since I came to Europe, one year in Roma, eight with Liverpool. He is a great guy, great character and a legend with Liverpool FC. It is not something that makes me happy. But we have in football not too much time to stay moaning about any situation.
“We have a big challenge tomorrow, a big team to play against. Inter has been doing so well this season, so my focus and the focus of the team is on the challenge we are going to face tomorrow.
“We don’t spend much time away from the training ground. We are good friends. We share good moments, happy moments so that creates a bond. We will have a conversation but that is personal.”
Alisson went on: “Him not being available is just a consequence of what he did and he is smart enough to know that. I didn’t speak to Mo about that. We have a good relationship. It is not just a teammate, we spend so much time together, we don’t spend much time away from the training ground. We are good friends. We share good moments, happy moments so that creates a bond. We will have a conversation but that is personal.”
Having played alongside Salah for nine years between Roma and Liverpool, Alisson’s comments come amid growing speculation over whether Salah will feature for the club again, despite recently signing a lucrative contract through 2027.
The Brazilian remains optimistic that Salah will return to action and that the matter can be resolved.
He added: “I don’t think anything, but I hope he plays again for the club. That’s a personal situation between Mo and the club. We as his teammates and his friends, we hope the best thing happens for him, but as Liverpool FC players we want the best for the club as well. We want a win-win situation for everyone.”
The most intense reaction to Salah’s remarks came from former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
After being referenced by Salah in the interview, Carragher didn’t hold back ahead of the Wolves vs Manchester United fixture.
Carragher called Salah a “disgrace” and said stopping in the mixed zone was “choreographed with him and his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position”.
He also said that Salah chose this particular instance in a bid to get Salah sacked and called the Egyptian selfish as he mentioned failures with Egypt and previous club Chelsea.