Arne Slot rebuffs Mohamed Salah 'assumption' but refuses reveal reason for Liverpool exit
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The Liverpool head coach said that Salah alone can explain why he feels it's best to move on this summer, but feels the winger has earned the right to leave on his own termsArne Slot said he will not disclose why Mohamed Salah felt leaving Liverpool this summer was the right course of actionArne Slot has said he will let Mohamed Salah explain the reasons behind his decision to leave Liverpool, but downplayed the significance of December’s infamous Elland Road outburst.Salah made headlines when he claimed after a 3-3 against Leeds that he has been “thrown under the bus” by the club, and also said key figures at the club wanted him to leave.While the 33-year-old managed to patch things up with Slot and has played an integral role in the side since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] in January, many believe that unrest between player and coach led in part to Salah’s decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.READ MORE: Liverpool without 4 players vs Man City as Arne Slot shares Alexander Isak and Mo Salah updatesREAD MORE: Peter Crouch says Liverpool's ideal Mohamed Salah successor already plays in the Premier LeagueSlot praised the Egyptian’s Anfield legacy this week, even if his bombshell interview provided one of the biggest issues in a problematic campaign. But speaking before Salah begins his farewell tour with a trip to Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday, Slot said he does not regret how he dealt with the club’s third all-time highest scorer.“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,” the Liverpool head coach explained.“I don't regret many things I did during a little longer than one-and-a-half years together.
Again, the assumption that if he's not playing that he wants to leave - that's the assumption being made - then he would have left one-and-a-half years ago.“I can remember West Ham away when he wasn't playing [in April 2024]. But history has shown is that he did not do that previously and had a great season after that.Slot and Salah's relationship has been under the spotlight in recent months(Image: Getty Images)“When things like this are announced to the outside world, I don't think it's a surprise for you to hear that there are a lot of discussions, talks going on between him, his agent, the club, me and him, before this comes out in the public.“But, as I always said, and I'm not going to change on what has been said between the two of us, or between him and the club, that is something I'm not going to share.”Salah has not spoken publicly since confirming his decision to leave last week, nor has he revealed the reasons why he opted to call time on his Liverpool career.“If he wants to share his reasons why he did it then it's up to him, but that's not up to me to speak for him,” said Slot.
And he's done so many things for this club. But that doesn't have to be true.“I would be surprised if there's not a moment when Mo's going to share his thoughts about why he made the decision he made.