Arne Slot has no regrets over his treatment of Mohamed Salah and claimed it was completely the forward’s decision to leave Liverpool on the finish of the season.
The Liverpool head coach declined to reveal why or when Salah decided to depart the membership as he confronted the media on Friday for the primary time for the reason that Egypt worldwide’s announcement. Slot believes it must be left to Salah to elucidate the explanations for exiting 12 months earlier than his contract is because of expire.
It was put to Slot that he’s perceived in some quarters because the “bad guy” behind Salah’s departure in mild of the player’s outspoken criticism at Leeds in December. “But that’s in general at the moment, isn’t it?” he stated of his personal standing amongst many Liverpool followers after this season’s disappointments.
Slot, nonetheless, insisted he wouldn’t have dealt with the state of affairs with the membership legend any in a different way. He defined: “Yes [he is happy with how he managed it]. I look back at this season thinking that I made a few decisions that could have been better, but I’m not talking about this specific thing with Mo. I don’t regret many things I did during our one-and-a-half years together, or just longer.
“The assumption that if he’s not playing then he wants to leave – then he would have left one-and-a-half years ago [if that was the case]. I remember West Ham away when he wasn’t playing [under Jürgen Klopp in April 2024]. I wasn’t here then. He didn’t decide to leave.
“The assumption is that if you don’t play in these games all of a sudden you want to leave. It is an assumption and maybe it is true or maybe it isn’t, but history has shown he did not do that previously and he had a great season after that.”
Salah had been benched for 3 video games in six days in December when he accused the membership of throwing him underneath a bus for Liverpool’s horrible outcomes and claimed his relationship with Slot was nonexistent. But the coach isn’t satisfied that fallout prompted the 33-year-old to carry an outstanding Anfield profession to an finish.
“The only one who can talk about it is Mo himself,” stated Slot. “You are making the assumption that he wants to leave because he was out for six days. I’m not sure what you are saying is true. I would be surprised if there’s not a moment when Mo shares his thoughts about why he made the decision he made. It’s not up to me to do that. It’s up to him. And I would not go into all these assumptions. I would be careful with assumptions.”
Liverpool’s head coach additionally denied that by permitting Salah to depart on a free switch this summer time, the membership seems comfortable to let the forward go. “Those are your words,” stated Slot, who may have Alexander Isak on the bench for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final in opposition to Manchester City.
“I think Mo has earned the right completely to decide whenever he thinks he should leave. He’s done so many things for this club. He has to make up his own mind and that’s what he did.”
The go to to City marks the beginning of a defining interval for Liverpool and Slot however, regardless of the exterior strain on his place, the 47-year-old confirmed he’s closely concerned in planning for this summer time’s switch window. “Yes I am,” he stated. “And I know why you ask this question.”
