Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted he does not mind being viewed as the “bad guy” responsible for Mohamed Salah’s departure from the club, insisting he has no regrets over his treatment of the Egypt international.
Salah’s status as a permanent starter at Anfield was challenged earlier this season amid an underwhelming run of form. After being left out for three games in a row, the winger went public with a scathing assessment of his position and his poor relationship with Slot in December.
The pair shook hands and moved on eventually, but that was the start of the exit rumors for Salah, who has since confirmed he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season. It was put to Slot that some Liverpool supporters may accuse him of being the catalyst behind Salah’s impending departure.
“But that’s in general at the moment, isn’t it?” the under-fire Slot laughed, admitting he feels blamed for most of Liverpool’s struggles this season.
Asked whether, with the benefit of hindsight, he was still happy with his treatment of Salah, Slot responded: “Yes. 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.”
Slot: Lack of Minutes Not Behind Salah’s Exit
While Salah has been a regular starter since ending his spat with Slot, there have still been suggestions that the fact his manager does not view him as undroppable could have contributed to his decision to leave.
That theory was put to Slot, who pointed out this was not the first time in Salah’s Liverpool career that he had been dropped.
“The assumption that if he’s not playing then he wants to leave, then he would have left one-and-a-half years ago,” Slot argued. “I remember West Ham away when he wasn’t playing [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.”
Slot continued: “The only one who can talk about it is Mo himself. 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.”
Finally, Slot also dismissed claims Liverpool’s willingness to let Salah leave on a free transfer was a sign of his willingness to part ways with the Egyptian.
“Those are your words,” Slot responded.
“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.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arne Slot Unconcerned by ‘Bad Guy’ Reputation Over Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool Exit.
