Before leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, Mohamed Salah was able to show himself once again in the Liverpool FC jersey—and promptly played a decisive role in the victory against Brighton. Afterwards, coach Arne Slot and Hugo Ekitiké commented on the Egyptian, who had dominated the headlines so much during the week.
Will the saga surrounding Mohamed Salah come to an amicable end after all? The scenes that unfolded on the pitch after the 2-0 win against Brighton can be interpreted in different ways. Was it simply a lap of honor for the Egyptian or a farewell tour at Anfield Road? Salah himself did not comment on his future. But the fact is that when all his teammates had already left the pitch, the 33-year-old continued to do his laps, letting the Reds fans celebrate him—and with a smile on his face.
That was something Salah had been missing lately. After once again being a spectator in the 3-3 draw at Leeds, he vented his frustration last weekend, spoke of a broken relationship with coach Arne Slot, and openly raised the possibility of his departure.
Salah was then missing from Liverpool’s squad for the Champions League game at Inter Milan (1-0) during the week, but the top scorer from last season returned to the squad against the Seagulls on Saturday.
He started on the bench, but after Joe Gomez was injured early on, he came on after 26 minutes and promptly made his mark with a strong performance, including an assist for Hugo Ekitiké.
Ekitiké: “Having him on the pitch is a blessing.”
The Frenchman, who was the match winner thanks to his brace, then spoke up for his teammate, who had recently been in the headlines. “Mohamed is a great professional. I see him as a role model,” Ekitiké said in an interview with the BBC. “You can see how much he is involved in goals and assists. He is a legend here. It’s a blessing to be on the pitch with him. He’s exactly the kind of player who makes watching soccer so much fun.“
Slot also emphasized the importance of his protégé after the game, with no sign of the personal problem Salah had hinted at the previous weekend. ”It was an easy decision to include him in the squad,” Slot clarified. “I’ve said many times that what is said between us stays between us.”
“We needed him, and he contributed to the 2-0 win, which is great for us,” Slot continued. “He was a threat. With his first touch, he almost set up Mac Allister. He was constantly involved in the game. That was nice to see, but not a surprise.” His assist secured Salah a Premier League record: with 118 goals and 89 assists in a Reds shirt, he is now the player with the most goal contributions for a single club in the Premier League. He replaces Wayne Rooney, who was directly involved in 276 goals for Manchester United.
Regardless of whether he leaves in the winter or not, this was Salah’s last goal involvement for the Reds for the time being. In the coming days, he will be heading to the Egyptian national team to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations. So, for Slot, the question of whether or not to do without Salah against Tottenham on Saturday does not arise.
Slot: “Yesterday’s conversation and today’s actions speak for themselves.”
Keyword questions: In Slot’s eyes, Salah’s future was clarified with the appearance against Brighton. “For me, the situation when I spoke to him yesterday, he was on the bench and was the first to come on as a substitute, means that the situation has calmed down,” the Dutchman estimates. “But if the outside world wants to keep talking about it, or if there are other reasons why people continue to talk about it, that’s fine with me. Yesterday’s conversation and today’s actions, which he and I took, speak for themselves.”
