Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's record-breaking forward and talismanic leader, has been controversially omitted from the squad traveling to face Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday at San Siro.
This decision stems directly from a public fallout with manager Arne Slot following Salah's explosive post-match interview after a chaotic 3-3 draw with Leeds United, marking his third consecutive benching.
The Bombshell Interview That Sparked the Rift
Salah's frustrations boiled over after being sidelined despite his pivotal role in last season's title charge.
"After all I have done for the club, it genuinely hurts. You can imagine how it feels to leave home for the club without knowing if you will start," he vented to reporters. He accused the club of betrayal, stating, "the club has thrown
me under the bus," and hinted at sabotage with "somebody doesn't want me at the club," while revealing a shattered rapport.
"I now have no relationship with Arne Slot. " Salah even suggested his upcoming home game against Brighton might be a farewell, telling his mother to attend, amid looming AFCON duties and January transfer speculation.
Is it the end for Mo Salah at Liverpool?
Arne Slot was diplomatic with his answers as the reporters flocked to the Dutch manager regarding the Salah situation.
"We've let him know that he's not travelling with us [to Milan], so that was the only communication there has been there from us to him," Slot stated in his pre-match presser.
He emphasized squad balance: "I think as a team we struggled. Teams do that against us a lot, I've tried to find solutions, that's my job," citing experiments like deploying Dominik Szoboszlai on the right for defensive solidity, which yielded a clean sheet against West Ham.
Despite Salah training with the group, he joins injured Cody Gakpo and ill Federico Chiesa on the sidelines - purely a selection call, with no injury reported. As per reports, Liverpool believe the situation is reparable and want Salah to continue at the club. Although they have full faith in Slot, the Liverpool owners are more than welcoming to integrate Salah back into the squad, but the Egyptian may have set his sights out of the club already.
The saga underscores tensions over Salah's dip and Slot's push for a post-Salah era, with fans and pundits like Jamie Carragher divided on the transition. Amid this, the Egyptian is tipped to leave the Reds and seek other ventures, with teams in Saudi Arabia and USA are more than ready for his acquisition.
