Mohamed Salah has extraordinarily claimed he has been “thrown under the bus” by his club Liverpool and has teased a January transfer exit while pointing the finger firmly at his manager Arne Slot. Salah was an unused substitute in the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday night. It is the second time in their last three Premier League games he has sat on the bench for the full 90 minutes. He was also named as a sub against Sunderland in midweek but came on at half-time with Liverpool in need of a goal.
And Salah has not taken his sudden fall in stature on Merseyside well. He said at Elland Road: “I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club. Everybody can see that during the years and especially last season. It seems like the club is throwing me under the bus. That’s how I feel. It’s very clear that someone wants me to get all the blame.” Salah made it clear he feels his relationship with under-pressure manager Slot is broken. The Egyptian is used to being Liverpool‘s main man but has fallen out of the Dutchman’s side at a time where the Premier League champions are desperately struggling to put a run of wins together.
The 33-year-old, who only signed a new two-year contract in April, added: “I said many times before I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why. It seems to me someone doesn’t want me in the club. It’s not acceptable for me. I don’t know why that happened always to me, I don’t get it.
“I think if was somewhere else the club will protect its player. I don’t know why I’m in that situation now but again it’s how I see it, it’s like you throw him under the bus because he’s a problem in the team now but I don’t think I’m the problem. I have done so much for this club to get the respect I want to get and I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earn it.
“I had a meeting with the manager. He knows my feeling. I thought I’m going to renew here and end my career here, but this is not according to the plan.”
The winger racked up an incredible 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 appearances in Liverpool’s title-winning season last year. He only has five goals and three assists in 19 games this season. But he is one of the Reds’ greatest ever players and is their third highest goalscorer of all time – just 30 off of matching the legendary Roger Hunt.
Yet Salah has even teased that next weekend’s visit of Brighton to Anfield could be his last EVER Liverpool game. He heads to the mid-season African Cup of Nations to play for Egypt after that and has suggested he may now depart the Merseyside club in the upcoming January transfer window.
The No.11 added: “I called my mum and dad and told them to come to the Brighton game. It doesn’t matter if I play or not. I’m going to enjoy it. I’m just going to be at Anfield and say goodbye to the fans before the African Cup of Nations, because I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.
“It’s not acceptable to me to be fair. If I was somewhere else, every club would protect its players. Now, it’s ‘throw Mo under the bus because he is a problem in a team’. I don’t think I am a problem. I am not fighting for my position every day because I have earned it. I am not bigger than the club. I am not bigger than anything. But I have earned it.”
“After what I have done for the club it really hurts. You can imagine, really. After going from home to the club and you don’t know if you are starting. I know the club too well, I have been here many years. Tomorrow [Jamie] Carragher is going to go for me again and again and that’s fine.
“I have been at this club, scoring more than anyone in this generation since I came to the Premier League, I don’t think anyone has scored more goals and made more assists than me. In the whole Premier League. If I am somewhere else, everybody would go to the media and defend the players. I am the only one in this situation.
“Can I give an example? It’s silly but I am sorry. I remember a while go, Harry Kane was not scoring for ten games, everyone in the media was like, ‘Oh, Harry will score for sure.’ When it comes to Mo, everyone is like, ‘He needs to be on the bench.’ I am sorry Harry!”