Liverpool manager Arne Slot revealed Mohamed Salah’s current status ahead of the upcoming match against Brighton.
Saturday’s game at Anfield will be his last with the team before he joins the Egyptian national team in preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, he explained.
During a press conference after he held a meeting with Salah on Friday, the Dutch manager stressed his desire for Salah to stay, stating that there is no reason for him to want him to leave, especially since the team has won many matches with him on the pitch.
The coach indicated that the outcome of this private conversation determined the player’s participation in the Brighton match, without elaborating further.
He added that he will also prefer to discuss Salah’s situation in his presence from now on, rather than through the media.
Numerous discussions took place after the Sunderland match between the player, the club’s management, and himself personally, the coach explained.
Regarding Salah’s exclusion from the Champions League match against Inter Milan, he confirmed that the decision was a joint one between him and the club, although selecting the starting lineup remains his prerogative as manager.
Slot refused to link the string of positive results in Salah’s absence to the validity of the decision to leave him out, emphasizing that Liverpool achieved many victories with him as well.
A tense upcoming match
Anfield will be adorned for a crucial Premier League match between Liverpool and Brighton at five pm on Saturday, as part of the 16th round of the 2025-2026 Premier League season.
Liverpool enters the match in difficult circumstances, plagued by worrying results and a tense dressing room situation following the Salah-Arne Slot dispute.
The Reds have only managed 23 points and conceded 24 goals in their first 15 matches – the worst record for any defending champion since Leicester City in the 2016-17 season (16 points and 26 goals).
Liverpool’s defense has struggled this season, and they currently sit in 10th place, 10 points behind the league leaders.
Brighton, meanwhile, will be hoping to capitalize on their recent three-two victory over the Reds and secure a second consecutive win at Anfield for the first time in their history.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
