It was another dramatic and emotionally charged afternoon for Liverpool Football Club as the dust settled on their wild 3-3 draw against Leeds United. But what truly set tongues wagging across Merseyside and beyond wasn’t just the two points dropped—it was Mohamed Salah’s explosive post-match comments that have thrown the club into a state of uncertainty and ignited speculation about his future at Anfield.
On December 6, 2025, after Liverpool once again let slip a 2-0 lead to settle for a frustrating draw at Elland Road, Salah—benched for the third consecutive match—broke his silence with a stinging critique of both the club and manager Arne Slot. The Egyptian superstar, who has become synonymous with Liverpool’s modern era of success, didn’t mince his words. "I don’t know what to say. It’s kind of funny, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a disappointing result for us as a team. We conceded silly goals. I could not help my team-mates because I am on the bench," he told reporters in the mixed zone, his voice tinged with disbelief and frustration.
For Salah, the pain of being sidelined was palpable. "I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes. That’s the third time. It’s the first time in my career I think. I am very disappointed, I have done so much for this club over years, especially last season. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That’s how I feel it. Someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. Now I’m on bench so I can say they haven’t kept those promises."
These comments have sent shockwaves through the Liverpool fanbase, many still reeling from the team’s recent struggles. The Reds have now won just two of their last ten Premier League games, a run that has seen them tumble to eighth in the table and left supporters searching for answers. Salah’s remarks, though, have shifted the spotlight from on-field woes to a growing off-field rift that could have seismic consequences for the club’s immediate future.
The 33-year-old forward’s sense of betrayal was clear as he continued, "I used to have a good relationship (with Slot). Now we don’t have any relationship and I don’t know why. Seems like someone does not want me in the club. I called my mum and dad and told them to come to the Brighton game. It doesn’t matter if I play or not. I’m going to enjoy it. I am just going to be at Anfield and say goodbye to the fans before the African Cup of Nations, because I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there."
It’s a statement that has left many wondering: Is Salah really on the brink of an Anfield exit? With his contract extended only last April for two more years, and having scored a staggering 250 goals in 420 appearances since joining from AS Roma in 2017, the Egyptian has etched his name into club lore. He sits behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in Liverpool’s all-time scoring charts and has delivered two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy to the Kop faithful. Yet, despite his iconic status and a phenomenal 34-goal, 18-assist campaign last season, Salah’s influence appears to be waning—at least in the eyes of the current regime.
Manager Arne Slot, who succeeded Jürgen Klopp earlier this year, offered his own rationale for Salah’s repeated omission from the starting lineup. "It’s never an easy decision because we all know what a great player he is. But it is also up to me to pick the team that I think we need today. That’s why I made the decision," Slot explained. After the Leeds match, he doubled down: "We were 2-0 up, we were 3-2 up. At that moment in time, it was more about controlling the game, and we didn’t need a goal at that moment in time. Normally, when you need a goal, like last week against Sunderland, I brought Mo on. We needed different players like Wataru (Endo) when we needed to bring the win over the line; he (Endo) gave everything."
But for many, Slot’s explanations haven’t quelled the storm. Salah’s numbers this season—just five goals and three assists in 19 appearances—are a far cry from his usual output, but his exclusion from key moments has only fueled speculation of a deeper discord. The forward himself acknowledged the breakdown: "I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, it seems to me, how I see it, someone doesn’t want me in the club."
The sense of disrespect, as Salah sees it, is particularly galling given his service to the club. "I don’t think I am a problem. I am not fighting for my position every day because I have earned it. I am not bigger than the club. I am not bigger than anything. But I have earned it." Though he recognizes the club’s legacy, Salah’s words ring as a warning: no player is bigger than the club, but perhaps some are bigger than the current manager.
With the Africa Cup of Nations looming—Salah is set to join Egypt’s squad on December 15—next week’s home clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on December 13 is shaping up to be a possible swan song for one of Liverpool’s greatest ever. Salah himself seems unsure what the future holds: "I don’t know what’s going to happen now, so I’m just going to be in Anfield, say goodbye to the fans (before) going to Africa Cup (of Nations), because I don’t know what’s going to happen when I’m there."
There’s even a whiff of transfer intrigue, with speculation swirling about a potential January move to the Saudi Pro League—an option that has been mooted in the past and could gain traction if Salah’s relationship with the club remains fractured. For now, though, the focus remains on the rapidly approaching Brighton fixture and the Champions League showdown with Inter Milan before Salah’s departure for international duty.
Liverpool fans, already unsettled by their team’s stuttering form and the unfamiliar sight of player-manager discord after years of unity under Klopp, now face the prospect of a future without their talisman. The club’s owners and leadership will be under intense scrutiny in the coming days as they weigh the fallout from Salah’s comments and the direction the team is heading under Slot.
As the Anfield faithful prepare for what could be a poignant farewell next weekend, one thing is certain: the Mohamed Salah saga has become the defining story of Liverpool’s season—a tale of loyalty, disappointment, and the unpredictable nature of football’s biggest personalities. Whether this is truly the end of Salah’s legendary Liverpool journey remains to be seen, but the echoes of his words will linger long after the final whistle against Brighton.
