- 11:45
There are phrases that fall like bombs. When Mohamed Salah hints that he has been “thrown under the bus,” it is no longer just the frustration of an unhappy player. It is a signal of rupture. A message launched in the full glare of the media. And at that moment, at Liverpool, no one could pretend anymore that everything would still be settled in the silence of the dressing room.
Facing him, Arne Slot remains upright, calm, almost cold. Questioned about this so-called “broken” relationship, he refuses to enter the emotional game. “The only one who can answer is Salah himself.” A short sentence, but one that carries heavy meaning. The coach does not deny it outright, he does not provoke, and he protects the institution. And above all, he acts. The only discussion between the two men is limited to a blunt message: Salah will not travel to Milan with the group.
This detail is crucial. Because this decision is not only that of a frustrated coach. Salah’s exclusion comes directly from the very top of the club. Sporting management, executive leadership, owners: everyone approved it. Liverpool, the institution, has made its choice. And the message is crystal clear: the club is 100% behind its coach, Arne Slot.
This is where everything shifts. For years, Salah has been the face, the symbol, and the attacking guarantee of Liverpool. But this time, the club does not back down in front of its star. No apology statement, no attempt to calm things behind the scenes. Just a firm decision, assumed, almost surgical.
Yet Liverpool does not speak of punishment. Officially, it is a “short-term measure.” The club claims it still believes in a possible reintegration. Salah is even under contract until 2027. But in modern football, everyone knows how to read between the lines. When a crisis becomes public, it is never trivial again.
What is most revealing, in my view, is this sudden transfer of responsibility: the ball is now in Salah’s court. If he wants to leave, he will have to trigger the move. Bring offers. Assume the break. Liverpool, on their side, positions itself as a reasonable institution, ready to discuss but not to betray itself. The club protects its sporting, financial, and above all symbolic value.
But to this internal dynamic is now added another factor: the external market. Because serious, concrete offers are threatening to turn this crisis into a definitive departure.
When the Call From Elsewhere Also Weighs In
From the very first hours of the crisis, several Saudi Pro League clubs, notably Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal, positioned themselves as serious contenders to welcome Salah. These two massively funded clubs are ready to rebuild around a star capable of restoring the league’s international visibility.
The discussions are far from superficial. According to some sources, the offer proposed to Salah could place him among the highest-paid players in the world. We are indeed talking about an XXL package combining salary, bonuses, star status, and ambassador role. Some estimates mention colossal amounts, difficult to match for a traditional European club.
This double attraction — the desire to detach from a fractured dressing room and the lure of a record contract — changes the equation. Salah’s departure would no longer be a simple option, but a real probability. In this context, control seems to be shifting from Liverpool to Saudi Arabia. But above all, the player himself regains power. If he accepts, it is an honorable exit. If he refuses, it is a challenge to expectations.
This external context dramatically increases the stakes. It is no longer just an internal conflict: it is a turning point in a player’s career — the possibility of a new chapter elsewhere, with full superstar status. And for Liverpool, it may be the opportunity to draw a line under an era, without dramatizing, without public humiliation.
A Potentially Divided Dressing Room
Another essential aspect emerges from this situation: the dressing room is no longer structured around untouchable status. Talent, however immense, no longer guarantees immunity. Today’s football imposes a clear rule: you no longer play for your name, you play for the project.
Arne Slot, in this storm, struck me with one essential thing: he never speaks about himself. He always speaks about the club. He refers everything back to the institution. Listening to his words, one understands that, for him, Liverpool is bigger than any player, even Mohamed Salah.
The Moment of Choice Is Approaching
When Arne Slot says, “I have no idea if this was his last match with Liverpool,”
This sentence, behind its apparent neutrality, sounds like a confession. At this stage, everything indicates that Mohamed Salah is closer to the exit than to a return.
The divorce has not yet been officially pronounced. But the marriage is deeply fractured. And with the serious financial interest from Saudi Arabia, the risk of a definitive split is real. Football business follows its own logic: maintain the club’s prestige, recover a transfer fee, or let the star leave for a golden bridge in another league.
And while Liverpool settles its internal affairs, the King of Egypt turns back toward the desert: Mohamed Salah takes flight with the national team to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations, carried by the public support of the Egyptian Football Federation, which crowned him on Instagram “The One and Only King”… not yet knowing what the future holds for him upon his return.
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