Arne Slot says Liverpool have “moved on” from the saga surrounding Mohamed Salah ahead of their clash with Tottenham on Saturday.
Arne Slot says Liverpool have “turned the page” on the saga surrounding Mohamed Salah, as they prepare to face Tottenham with their Premier League goalscoring record, now in the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.
Liverpool’s recent matches have been overshadowed by the situation between Slot and Salah, who claimed after being left on the bench for a third successive game, a 3-3 draw against Leeds United, earlier this month, that he had been “thrown under the bus”.
Salah was then left out of the squad in Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan, before coming off the bench to provide the assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion last Saturday.
Slot: Liverpool have moved on
His reintegration into the squad suggests the fences have been mended, although it is unclear whether Salah will still be a Liverpool player by the end of the January transfer window, as speculation around a possible move to Saudi Arabia persists.
But for Slot, the matter is closed for now, with Salah focusing solely on winning the AFCON with Egypt for the first time. He was on the losing side in the final in 2017 and 2021.
“I said it last week, actions speak louder than words,” Slot said during his pre-match press conference.
“We moved on, he was in the team and it was the first substitution I made. Now he has the AFCON and is going to play big games, so it’s only right that all the attention is on them.”
‘More to come’ from Liverpool
Liverpool face Spurs while dealing with several injury problems.
Cody Gakpo is expected to miss out with a muscle injury, while Joe Gomez will be unavailable with a hamstring problem.
There is hope, however, that Dominik Szoboszlai could be involved in north London. The Hungarian has arguably been Liverpool’s best player this season but was forced to leave Brighton with an ankle injury.
“He [Gakpo] I had a scan that looked promising, so we’re not so worried anymore,” Slot explained. “He might come back sooner than expected, but definitely not tomorrow.
“Joe is not in the team either. Dominik trained yesterday for the first time. We will see where he is today.”
“That [Szoboszlai playing] It depends entirely on his performance today and then we talk to the player and the medical staff. If the player feels comfortable and does everything they need to do, then they will start. Dom would start tomorrow if he is fully fit.
Liverpool have had a very difficult season in their defense of the Premier League title which they won in the previous campaign. The Reds are 10 points behind leaders Arsenal but could move into the top four if they win and Chelsea suffer a defeat at Newcastle United earlier on Saturday.
“I hope we all see this translate into results, but I think we’re making progress,” Slot said.
“I have had to play against players several times this season who were not fit. I’m not just talking about new players. I see players improving in terms of fitness and, therefore, performance. I think we are definitely progressing.
“Winning always gives a good feeling and morale after so many changes over the summer. The standings are so close that winning or losing matters a lot.
“The main objective for us is to build on the last five games. We have been solid defensively. It’s a good foundation, combined with the fact that the players are more and more ready to compete with the intensity of the Premier League. I think we still have more to do.”
