Liverpool head coach Arne Slot may have bought himself some breathing room with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League, but that doesn’t mean everything is nice and rosy back on Merseyside.
There’s still the little matter of Slot settling the curious case of Mohamed Salah and his exclusion from the team after an explosive interview that did its fair share of damage.
With Salah set to leave Liverpool and join the Egypt national team for the Africa Cup of Nations, the weekend game against Brighton represents the last opportunity for Salah and Slot to bury the hatchet and sing from the same hymn sheet before an extended absence, courtesy of AFCON.
Slot clarified his stance during his customary press conference on Friday, putting his cards on the table.
Liverpool HC Arne Slot Outlines Plans for Mo Salah
During his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Brighton, Slot told reporters that he will come to the table to discuss what the immediate future holds for Mo Salah.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome of that will determine what happens tomorrow,” Slot said at the presser.
Arne Slot: “I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome of that will determine what happens tomorrow.”
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) December 12, 2025
Slot also added, “I have no reason for not wanting him to stay.”
Salah sent Reds fans into a spiral after the 3-3 draw against Leeds United last weekend, another game where he didn’t feature on the pitch.
“I’m very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench, and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame,” Salah said after the game.
Salah, who hasn’t shied away from addressing his future with the media, also said that his relationship with Slot had been fractured.
“I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”
The Egyptian winger also mentioned that he had told his family to come to the Brighton game this weekend because he doesn’t know what can happen in the future.
With Salah’s comments setting the stage for a showdown between the manager and Liverpool’s most prolific forward in recent years, transfer rumors have engulfed the Premier League star.
More recently, MLS Commissioner Don Garber addressed the prospect of Salah joining an MLS team.
“I’ve seen some rumours about Mo Salah. We very much believe in the sanctity of a contract; that’s an American business dynamic. Mo’s under contract to Liverpool, people we know. It’s a great team,” Garber said.
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But Garber didn’t stop there. The MLS Commissioner made it a point to make a pitch for the Egyptian winger to join the league.
“If he ever decides to come to Major League Soccer, we’d welcome him with open arms. I’d say he should reach out to Leo (Messi) and reach out to Thomas Müller and see how happy they’ve been and how successful they’ve been and how much they’ve really embraced being in Major League Soccer,” Garber said.
Salah has been linked with a move to San Diego FC, though there was also a fleeting rumor linking him with Messi’s Inter Miami. Saudi Pro League clubs Al Ittihad and Al Hilal have also been mentioned as potential destinations for the electric Liverpool winger.
