Slot Affirms Mohamed Salah’s Focus Amidst Contract Discussions

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has stated that forward Mohamed Salah is not allowing ongoing contract negotiations and speculation regarding his future to affect his focus. Salah, whose existing contract is set to conclude at the season’s end, previously informed journalists that he was “disappointed” by the absence of a new contract offer and felt he was “probably more out than in.” Slot responded by saying, “The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out.” He further added, “I don’t think he’s distracted at all. I haven’t seen that after the United game [in September] where he had some comments, I haven’t seen it after a post you told me about, he just kept on scoring.” Slot concluded this point by stating, “If you would have been at the Axa [training ground] today, I don’t think any player spoke about it, at least not when I was there.” The 32-year-old player currently leads Liverpool in scoring this season, having netted 12 goals across all competitions. His two goals in Sunday’s victory against Southampton extended the Reds’ lead to eight points at the summit of the Premier League. The Merseyside club is scheduled to play Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, followed by a home match against Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday. Slot additionally commented, “Players are focused on the short term and that is Madrid and that is City. There is no distraction for him, the players and definitely not for me.” In addition to Salah, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and club captain Virgil van Dijk also have contracts expiring at the conclusion of the current season. According to a club source who spoke to BBC Sport, discussions between Liverpool and Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, are continuing and have been constructive. During an appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher described Salah as “selfish” for publicly discussing his future. When questioned about Carragher’s remarks, Slot stated, “I focus a bit more on what else he said. He said he was one of the five best players Liverpool have ever had and I completely agree with him, which is not an easy thing because we have had so many great players at this club.” He continued, “I don’t think it distracts Mo at all – maybe even brings the best out of him. Like I have said already a few times, my main focus is the next game. I talked to Mo about what I expect from him like I do all the other players. He is in a good place at the moment.” At the same news conference, Reds defender Andy Robertson commented that the speculation is “nothing the players can get involved in.” Robertson added, “All I can say is Mo is the ultimate professional. That goes for all three of the players – Mo, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk – who are all in a similar position.” He concluded, “They are so focused on the next game, on training and have been leaders this year. For us in the changing room, if they can do that, we can do that and not get distracted.”