Arne Slot knew full well he was going to be asked straight away about Mo Salah at this afternoon’s press conference, and he had his answer ready!
The Liverpool forward told the media after the win over Southampton on Sunday that he’s yet to be offered a new contract at the club, with his current deal expiring in seven months’ time, saying that he’s ‘probably more out than in’ as things stand despite his clear eagerness to extend his stay at Anfield.
The 32-year-old came in for criticism from Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, with the pundit branding the Egyptian King ‘selfish’ for going public about his contractual situation at the start of a pivotal week in which his team face Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Slot gives pointed reply to Salah question
Speaking to the press today ahead of the Champions League clash against Los Blancos, the first question put to Slot was, of course, his thoughts on Salah’s comments and how his contract negotiations are progressing.
With a pointed reference to the Egyptian’s wording, the Liverpool head coach replied (via Liverpool Echo): “I’ve said many times, I don’t share this. If I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out!”
The 46-year-old continued: “I don’t think he is distracted. I haven’t seen it. He is just fully focused on the game. These things are in the media and fans talk about it, but the players don’t. I don’t think there is any distraction for him or for the players.
“I talk to Mo about what I expect from him, like I do to all the players. He’s in a good place at the moment.”
Slot seems very relaxed about Salah saga
In nearly every pre-match press conference since taking charge at Liverpool, Slot has been asked about the contract situations of Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and he’s been consistent in flatly batting off such questions by insisting that it’s not a matter to be discussed publicly.
He was therefore never likely to be too loose-lipped about the Egyptian’s situation and seemed perfectly prepared for what he knew was coming from the media this afternoon.
When the Dutchman said that the 32-year-old hasn’t been ‘distracted’ by off-field matters, his performances on the pitch prove it, with 12 goals and 10 assists already this season. Suffice to say those aren’t the numbers of a moody footballer downing tools amid any unhappiness over his future.
Andy Robertson (who was also at the press conference today) stressed that Salah has come into training every day ‘with a smile on his face’ and is ‘working as hard as ever’, with the Scottish left-back doing everything in his power to reassure Liverpool fans about his teammate’s focus on his current club.
Come 8pm tomorrow night, the narrative will switch once more to what the Egyptian King does on the pitch rather than away from it. Having netted twice against Real Madrid in six previous meetings with the Reds but never beaten them, he’ll hope to set the latter straight after so much heartbreak at the hands of Los Blancos.
