Mohamed Salah 'annoys' former Liverpool player as Arne Slot job claim made
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SportFootballLiverpool FCFormer Liverpool defender John Arne Riise has criticised the actions of departing forward Mohamed SalahFormer Liverpool defender John Arne Riise believes Mohamed Salah should have waited until after the season before issuing his latest dig at Arne Slot - and pointed the finger at the players for the Reds' underwhelming season.Salah caused a stir over the weekend with a less-than-subtle criticism of Liverpool boss Slot by urging the club to return to the "heavy metal football" seen under predecessor Jurgen Klopp.It was the latest public slight at the Dutchman, having in December suggesting he had been "thrown under the bus" by the head coach after being dropped following a series of very poor displays, and earlier this month questioned the standards at Anfield once he departs next week.And Champions League winner Riise has taken a dim view over the Egyptian and believes the player shouldn't start his farewell match against Brentford at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.READ MORE: Alisson fitness situation clarified after Carlo Ancelotti comments on Liverpool goalkeeperREAD MORE: Liverpool FC launch new 2026-27 home kit inspired by famous title-winning season “It annoys me that Mohamed Salah couldn’t at least wait until the season was finished before saying those things," he said.“Everyone knows he’s leaving, so why not just keep those opinions to yourself until the end? Or why say them at all?“I’ve met Mo Salah a few times and I’ve always seen him as a lovely person — smiley, friendly, respectful and someone who looks after people.“That’s why I can’t really understand these comments.
It almost feels like a different person writing them.“If it’s a PR team advising him to do these things and make his name bigger than the club, then that’s wrong because Liverpool Football Club will always be bigger than any player. Always.”Riise added: “I don’t understand why Arne Slot would allow a player to publicly criticise the team and then still give him a big send-off in the final game.“Why would the manager reward that behaviour after the things that have been said?
I would genuinely be surprised if Mohamed Salah starts the final game.”Slot has been under intense scrutiny for much of the season with Liverpool having had a hugely disappointing defence of their Premier League title.But with Xabi Alonso - once a managerial target for Reds owners Fenway Sports Group before Slot was appointed two years ago - now taking over at Chelsea, Riise is convinced Slot will remain in charge next season and has been let down by a number of players.“I’m still quite confident Arne Slot will be Liverpool manager next season," he said, speaking to BetVictor Online Casino. “Yes, the manager always gets blamed when things go wrong, but there are players who have massively underperformed this season as well.“There are players who haven’t worked hard enough or followed the instructions they were given, and you can see that in the performances.“If Liverpool were seriously considering sacking Arne Slot, they would already have spoken to Xabi Alonso’s people.“The fact Alonso moved quickly to Chelsea tells me Liverpool are not planning to change managers."Get Liverpool's new 2026/27 home kitThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.